Reading the treaty

In Te Papa is a display about the Treaty of Waitangi. On opposite sides are panels displaying the texts of the treaty in two languages, with comfortable seats to read and ponder the words. I noticed Māori people sitting on one sofa with a good view of the Māori version, while Pākehā (Europeans) sat facing them, reading the English version. Each group looked over the heads of the other, ignoring the other version (with its small but significant differences) behind them.

Taken 23 April 2004. Filed under people and signs. Click the photo to go to the previous photo.

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