Maori women, New Zealand

This photograph depicts two unidentified Maori women of unknown tribal affiliation engaged in a hongi, traditional Maori greeting. It was taken by the New Zealand photographer Arthur James Iles. It is one of a series of twenty studio portraits of Maori taken by Iles in Museum Victoria's collections. A professional photographer active during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Iles photographed a range of subjects including people, landscapes, historical and tourist sites as well as indigenous flora and fauna. Iles's specialisation was portraiture, particularly of the Maori population. Maori life had been a common subject among photographers since the 1850s. Popular with the non-Indigenous population, several categories of Maori pictures dominated the market. These included nostalgic depictions of 'beauties' and 'noble warriors' and the re-enactment of pre-contact life. The emergence of postcards around the beginning of the 20th century resulted in a resurgence in the production of photographs of Maori. A business man, Iles recognised this renewed interest in Maori culture. He drew on established subjects, photographing senior men and young women. Iles's efforts to attract Maori to his studios were aided by two factors. Firstly his association with Captain Gilbert Mair, a highly regarded captain of Maori troops loyal to the colonial government, facilitated visits by Maori community. Secondly, his marriage to Rebecca Elsie Utuatonga, a Maori woman, is likely to have assisted him to encourage young women to be photographed. In this photograph, the women are wearing several different styles of Maori garments. The woman on the right wears a korowai [cloak with hukahuka or tassels] and what appears to be a piu piu [waist garment]. The woman on the left wears a garment of cylindrical flax tags and a cloak with peacock feather attachments. Feathers decorate the women's hair. The white feathers are possibly kotuku (white heron or Ardea alba modesta). Traditionally such head ornamentation was reserved for people of high rank. In order to meet the expectations of the non-indigenous market, however, photographers endeavoured to accentuate the cultural differences of their subjects. Thus, sitters were often dressed in all of their cultural adornments.