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How to Care for the Maori Materials in Your Archives

The Maori people are the original people of the island of New Zealand. The people are believed to have originated in either South America or China and traveled the Pacific by canoe. Cultural artifacts from the Maori include stone adze, bone carvings, masks, woven baskets and rugs. But Maori materials can also include photographs of Maori people in native dress or tattooed, sound recordings of songs and oral histories, and written documents originating after the arrival of Europeans. Caring for Maori materials is the same whether it's a personal collection or in a library.

Things You'll Need

Clean cotton gloves
Lint-free cotton cloths
Boxes
Dry storage area

Instructions

- 1
  Wash your hands before touching any of your Maori collection to prevent transfer of oil or dirt onto the item. This is especially important to prevent damage to paper artifacts. Don cotton gloves before touching any specific item.
- 2
  Touch items on the outer edges only to prevent wear and damage to the face or back of the item. This is particularly important for photographs, newsprint and sound recordings on compact disc. Avoid touching the tape on cassettes, videotapes or reel-to-reel tapes.
- 3
  Wrap items in a lint-free cotton cloth when not in use. For paper items, wrap the collection as a whole rather than individually. The cotton will absorb moisture and also provide protection if the items are jostled. Preserve wrapped items in a box so that they don't collect dust.
- 4
  Store boxed materials in a dry storage away from water, gas pipes and sunlight. If any items are too large to be boxed, such as wooden totems or large stone carvings, keep the items from sunlight to help preserve painted colors and prevent wood from drying and cracking.

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