Written and directed by Barry Barclay, “Feathers of peace” documents the destruction, by both Maori and European invaders, of the Moriori people, the original inhabitants of the Chatham Islands which lie 870 km east of mainland New Zealand. The tragic history unfolds in 4 sections using black and white reconstructed ‘archival’ footage of poor visual and aural quality, interviews, drawings, stills and musical interludes with voice overs. Employing an innovative and sometimes confusing style, the documentary follows the decline of the peaceful Moriori from the initial minor cultural misunderstandings that take place when the first English ship arrives, to their full-scale enslavement and massacre by the Maori.
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How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
315559
Language
English
Subject categories
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Indigenous peoples
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Maori (New Zealand people)
Documentary → Documentary films - New Zealand
Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Culture conflict
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)