Francois and Julie consulting Montague’s journal. Photo Ali Clark.

In October, the project invited archaeologist Francois Wadra to Cambridge. Wadra and I have been working together for several years researching Kanak collections in UK museum collections and I was very keen for him to examine and comment upon a particular collection made in 1914 by the Cambridge zoologist, Paul Montague. Together we spent ten days looking through Montague’s objects as well as the vast array of associated archival documentation. Wadra was of the opinion that the Montague collection was unique in terms of the level of information he recorded about the use of the objects as well as the circumstances of their collection. Montague was meticulous in noting down local names and locations and became particularly interested in the so-called ‘magic stones’, which played a major role in all aspects of Kanak life. Coincidentally, Wadra himself has a particular interest in these stones and wrote an essay about the British Museum’s collection in the recently published: Melanesia – Art and Encounter (2013).

Ross (NMS), Francois and Julie looking at a Kanak pot. Photo Ali Clark.

After working through the Montague collection, we undertook visits to see the Kanak collections at the Horniman Museum in London, the Manchester Museum, the Museum fur Volkenkunde in Leiden and the Musee du quai Branly in Paris. Here we continued our work documenting Kanak collections in the UK and began to situate them within the context of European museum collections. In a Parisian café, I recorded an interview with Wadra, which will be published as part of a book about missionary collections. Our work in the Netherlands and Paris was documented visually by the New Zealand photographer, Mark Adams. He produced a series of portraits of Wadra examining the collections and also visiting the major exhibition of Kanak art which had recently opened at the Musee du quai Branly.

Francois at the Horniman Museum Stores. Photo Julie Adams.

Wadra’s visit was the first made by a Pacific Islander as part of the project and was incredibly rich and rewarding. Our work benefitted enormously from the fact that we had worked together previously and thus were quickly able to pick up our discussions and to hit the ground running! Projects like this are often only able to fund short, or one-off, research visits however I feel there is great rewards in building long-term collaborations. Hopefully these benefits will be made tangible as the project moves forward in planning exhibitions relating to the Montague collection that will draw specifically on Wadra’s in-put.

By Julie Adams

Francois being interviewed by Radio Pays 93.1 for their series on Kanak culture. Photo Julie Adams.