University of Otago teaching fellow Steve Ting has used 3-D printing technology to scan and replicate rare Moriori flutes, enabling the community to reconnect with lost musical heritage.
Mr Ting said only two Moriori flutes were known to have been found.
One is housed at Canterbury Museum and one is in the Bishop Museum in Hawaii.
The delicate nature of these historical artefacts meant they were unable to be played.
The flutes were scanned using computed tomography (CT) medical scanners, which created an accurate digital replica of both the inside and outside of the flutes.
Mr Ting then used 3-D printing machines to create exact duplicates.
"When I did the first one, I was in my shed and I just kind of absentmindedly pulled it off the print and played it."
He sat down as the realisation hit him that the flute had not been played for two centuries.
"For Moriori, it is hearing sounds they have not heard for a hundred to two hundred years, because their culture was erased."
Mr Ting experimented with different types of plastics to see if they had an effect on sound quality.
This included trialling a modelling filament called SimuBone, which was designed for use in medical schools to replicate cadaver bones.
Mr Ting was also given albatross bones so that he could try creating flutes using the original material.
"We were just trying to see if there was any huge difference between the materials in terms of sound quality, and there really was not."
The replicated flutes were "tuneful".
"Give it to someone who knows what they are doing and they can make some amazing sounds," he said.
A key aspect of the project was travelling to Rēkohu (Chatham Island) to share the replica flutes with people who identified as Moriori.
"I saw something light up in their face because they were hearing sounds that they had not essentially heard before.
"Being able to play their cultural heritage was very special for them."
Mr Ting used his expertise as a film-maker and mixed media artist to capture many different sounds on the island.
He and a group of about a dozen colleagues and students from different departments, including music, information science, computer science and science communication, visited the island.
They collected content including videos, interviews, photos, sounds and even smells.
All this material has been used to create the interactive exhibition "Hou Rongo — Moriori | Music | Manawa".
The team worked closely with the Moriori community to ensure the project reflected their desires.
"If they did not want something, then we would not do it," he said.
The exhibition features not only the replicated flutes but also interactive displays, olfactory exhibits and visual media.
Visitors can experience the sounds of the flutes, see recreations of traditional carvings, and even smell the kopi berry, a significant plant in Moriori culture.
After the exhibition closes, the material will be handed over to the Hokotehi Moriori Trust.
It would be able to be reconfigured as a travelling exhibit if the trust wanted to take it to other locations, Mr Ting said.
He is also working on creating a virtual version of the exhibit, enabling Moriori from around the world to experience it.
The project was a collaborative effort involving the Hokotehi Moriori Trust and the University of Otago departments of science communication, music and computer science, funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Endeavour Fund.
Mr Ting will share his experience of visiting Rēkohu during a public talk "Printing Flutes, Distilling Smells, and Breaking Domes", on Thursday, October 17, 5.30pm at Tūhura Otago Museum’s Barclay Theatre.
• "Hou Rongo — Moriori | Music | Manawa" is now open at Tūhura Otago Museum until Sunday, October 27.
