An ecosystem for the sentient object - Two new taxonomic models for New Zealand museums
Author: Sally-Ann Papps
Supervisors: Jo Kirkwood Alexa Forbes
17 March 2025
Papps, S-A. (2025). An ecosystem for the sentient object - Two new taxonomic models for New Zealand museums [Master's thesis, Otago Polytechnic]. Research Bank. https://doi.org/10.34074/thes.6855
Abstract
If it could be demonstrated that both indigenous and western artefacts possess a life essence, what kind of ecosystem would they live in, and could this premise be applied to better care for our collections in the wider museum context? In my thesis, I explore what can be learnt from the cultural and spiritual traditions of indigenous artefacts, (taoka), and how we can adapt this ontological approach to western objects so that we may better understand and care for all our collections. From this, a new taxonomy, ordering of collections, can be formed - one that breaks away from colonial museum conventions. I propose a new museum model that reorders the grouping and storing of collections by prioritising object-genealogies over museum nomenclature. The model realigns traditional museum systems to better fit and understand the needs of the cultural artefacts and objects in our care, allowing us to consider how object-genealogies can lead to a more logical and culturally appropriate approach to storing museum collections. The approach has demanded a qualitative methodology, achieved by introducing researched indigenous principles around ‘living’ artefacts, which are then paralleled with western object- narrative case studies to prove the existence of object-ontologies. By prioritising object- genealogies over type, a taxonomy that takes into account all objects as living beings can be created. This new taxonomy respects indigenous traditions and ensures that all things (humans, taoka, objects) remain connected. While taoka have always carried a life-essence, the reframing of western objects in this perspective provides a way forward toward a fresh perspective for any museum looking for a less colonial approach to collection-care.
Keywords
museums, collections, ecosystems, tāonga, taxonomy, Māori
License
A copy of the thesis is publicly available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
This licence applies except where otherwise indicated, especially for images.
