This book is the first detailed exploration of the history of Maori preserved tattooed heads, or mokomokai. Unknown to outsiders until the end of the eighteenth century, mokomokai were described by early visitors to New Zealand and almost immediately became coveted items of trade, entering into collections all over the world. After European settlement, the Maori practice of preserving heads ceased, but by then they had become "curios" in ethnographic and natural history assemblages. Mokomokai were also used to support racist theories associated with empire building. After being sold at auction for more than 150 years, they began to be the subject of repatriation efforts that are ongoing today. Book jacket.