Head of a New Zealander, with a comb in his hair.

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Head of a New Zealander, with a comb in his hair.

This head of a Maori man was likely drawn in Queen Charlotte Sound by Sydney Parkinson in January 1770. Sydney Parkinson (a Scottish landscape artist on Captain James Cook's first Endeavor voyage from 1768-1771) made field studies of plants and animal species that were then engraved to be included in John Hawkesworth's Voyages (an account of the journeys by Captain James Cook, Vice Admiral John Byron, and Joseph Banks published on behalf of the Admirality in 1773). Captain Cook (1728-1779) made three separate voyages to the Pacific (with the ships Endeavour, Resolution, Adventure, and Discovery) and did more than any other voyager to explore the Pacific and Southern Ocean. Cook not only encountered Pacific cultures for the first time, but also assembled the first large-scale collections of Pacific objects to be brought back to Europe. He was killed in Hawaii in 1779.

Parkinson noted in the journals that the Maori men who visited the Endeavor ‘had their hair tied up on the crown of their heads in a knot . . . Their faces were tataowed, or marked either all over, or on one side, in a very curious manner, some of them in fine spiral directions like a volute being indented in the skin very different from the rest.’ The man has a comb in his hair, an ornament of green stone in his ear, and from his neck hangs a fish tooth heitiki.

Mounted in Album PAJ2143, with PAJ2145 - PAJ2206.

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Object Details

ID:	PAJ2159
Type:	Print
Display location:	Not on display
Creator:	Parkinson, Sydney
Date made:	1770
Credit:	National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Measurements:	Sheet: 201 x 162 mm; Page: 590 x 470 mm
Parts:	Plates of Cook's Voyages - Voyage 1 (Album) Interview between Commodore Byron and the Patagonians (Print) (PAJ2144) The attack of Captain Wallis in the Dolphin by the natives Otaheite (Print) (PAJ2145) The Surrender of the Island of Otaheite to Captain Wallis by the supposed Queen Oberea. (Print) (PAJ2146) View of the Indians of Terra del Fuego in their hut. (Print) (PAJ2147) View of Matavia Bay in Otaheite taken from One Tree Hill (Print) (PAJ2148) A branch of the bread fruit tree with fruit (Print) (PAJ2149) View of the Island of Otaheite with several vessels of that island (Print) (PAJ2150) A fly-trap, figures and handles of the same instruments made in Otaheite (Print) (PAJ2151) Two chisels, an adze, a bread-fruit beater, the nasal flute, a thatching needle and an instrument for beating cloth. (Print) (PAJ2152) View in the Island of Otaheite with house called Tupapow (Print) (PAJ2153) View of the Island of Huaheine, with the Ewharra no Eatua, or House of God. (Print) (PAJ2154) View of the island of Ulietea with a double canoe and a boat house (Print) (PAJ2155) View of the inside of a house on the island of Ulietea, with representation of a dance (Print) (PAJ2156) View of the perforated rock in Tolaga Bay, New Zealand. (Print) (PAJ2157) A fortified town, called a Hippah, built on a perforated rock at Tolaga in New Zealand (Print) (PAJ2158) Head of a New Zealander, with a comb in his hair. (Print) (PAJ2159) Chief of New Zealand (Print) (PAJ2160) A war canoe of New Zealand, with a view of Gable End foreland (Print) (PAJ2161) Bludgeons used as weapons in New Zealand (Print) (PAJ2162) A view of Endeavour River on the coast of New Holland (Print) (PAJ2163) An animal found on the Coast of New Holland called Kanguroo (Print) (PAJ2164) A war canoe of New Zealand (Print) (PAJ2165) A boat house in which the Natives of Yoolee-Etea preserve their canoes from the weather (Print) (PAJ2166) A burial place, in the island of Morai or Yoolee-Etea (Print) (PAJ2167) A vessel anchored in a Bay (Print) (PAJ2168) Two vessels heading towards a coastline (Print) (PAJ2169) Rural scene with fortified compound (Print) (PAJ2170) Shoreline or island inlet showing island dwelling (Print) (PAJ2171) Islanders canoeing round a small island (Print) (PAJ2172) Naval vessels anchored in bay with mountain range in background (Print) (PAJ2173) Small sailing craft on a river with mountain range in background (Print) (PAJ2174) Possibly Cook exploring a small island with natives looking on (Print) (PAJ2175) Naval launch approaching a shoreline covered with fir trees (Print) (PAJ2176) View of a town with cow being slaughtered in background (Print) (PAJ2177) A local burial ground set among trees (Print) (PAJ2178) Native burial ground built on the side of a hill (Print) (PAJ2179) Native burial ground set into hillside with decorative wooden screens (Print) (PAJ2180) 'Discovery' run onto rocks in Queen Charlotte Sound (Print) (PAJ2181) Country scene with mountain range and two figures (Print) (PAJ2182) British encampment at the mouth of the river (Print) (PAJ2183) Exploring and surveying a volcano (Print) (PAJ2184) Native village with burial ground in foreground (Print) (PAJ2185) Possibly the 'Dutton' in the East Indies (Print) (PAJ2186) Harbour scene with British vessel at anchor and native boats (Print) (PAJ2187) Naval officer being shown burial tombs by a native (Print) (PAJ2188) Naval officer being shown burial tomb by a native (Print) (PAJ2189) British encampment, natives bringing supplies. (Print) (PAJ2190) Canoe called Sandpan by the Chinese (Drawing) (PAJ2191) A canoe of Cracatoa (Drawing) (PAJ2192) Chinese canoe (Drawing) (PAJ2193) Canoe of Ulietea, with a canopy (Drawing) (PAJ2194) A canoe of Hulaitea (Drawing) (PAJ2195) Canoe from Otaheite (Drawing) (PAJ2196) Canoe of Sandwich Island (Drawing) (PAJ2197) A double sailing canoe of Huaine (Drawing) (PAJ2198) Canoe Pulo Condore (Drawing) (PAJ2199) A Chinese Junk (Drawing) (PAJ2200) Sailing canoe of friendly islands, Sketch of the 'Discovery' (Drawing) (PAJ2201) Natives of Crakatoa (Drawing) (PAJ2202) Northwest American Canoe (Drawing) (PAJ2203) A native male of North America (Drawing) (PAJ2204) A native female of North America (Drawing) (PAJ2205) A Tongan dance, probably on 21 June 1777 (Drawing) (PAJ2206)