Course: Confronting Captain Cook: Memorialisation in museums and public spaces

In this piece, Jo Walsh, our lead educator, interviews Natasha Vaike, Pacific Community Leader about working with cultures and objects inside the Museum. Natasha Vaike established and is Arataki (leader) …

2018 was the 250th anniversary of the Endeavour’s departure from Britain. 2019 is the anniversary for the Endeavour’s arrival in the Pacific, specifically Aotearoa/New Zealand in October, and Australia and …

As European governments colonised the lands of the Pacific, individuals saw opportunities and voyaged to seek their fortune. Here is a selection of the resources of the Pacific that were …

Many of the taonga and idols that were taken by the missionaries and sent to Europe are now in European museums. In 2013 the National Maritime Museum acquired the collection …

‘The expeditions employed a total of three ships, 190 seamen and officers, four gardeners, and two captains. Thousands of pounds were spent fitting the ships as floating plant nurseries, and …

John Williams (1796 – 1839) was a prominent member of the London Missionary Society (LMS). Enterprising and highly successful in his mission to take Christianity to the people of the …

Pomare II was a prominent chief in Tahiti. He converted to Christianity in 1815, within twenty years of the London Missionary Society’s arrival (in 1796). Pomare II’s engagement with the …

Before we begin, please consider the following questions: Does religion play an important role in your life? Was your religion inherited through your heritage or introduced to you? There are …

Let’s look at understanding Cook’s actions through this second case study. Observing a ceremony “I do not pretend to dispute the propriety of Captain Cook’s conduct, but I cannot help …

James Cook received an additional set of instructions from the President of the Royal Society, James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton. These instructions are recommendations offered to those going on …

For each of the voyages he commanded, James Cook kept meticulous logs and journals. On his arrival back in England in 1771 he travelled overland immediately to London with his …

The Admiralty issued James Cook with two sets of instructions for the voyage. The first was to sail to Tahiti to observe the Transit of Venus. He also received a …

Let’s look at the secret instructions in more detail. The secret instructions told Cook to seek out the ‘Southern Continent’. The existence of this continent was based on the assumption …