The Tamil short story (on page 6 – Issue 30) is based on this true story.
‘Today, the Tamil Bell remains safely housed in Te Papa… Despite being a small item, it raises big questions about the reach of Tamil maritime activity, the possibility of pre-colonial trans-oceanic contact, and the hidden threads of connection….’
Among the many artifacts preserved in New Zealand’s national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa, one particular item stands out for its historical mystery and cultural significance—the Tamil Bell. This bronze bell, modest in size but immense in its implications, continues to fascinate researchers, historians, and members of the Tamil and Māori communities alike.
The story of the Tamil Bell begins in the early 1830s, when the well-known missionary and linguist William Colenso encountered Māori people in Northland using a bronze bell. According to William Colenso, he noticed the object when visiting a Māori village near Whangārei in the Northland Region during the 1830s, becoming the first European to visit the village. He observed it being used as a cooking pot for “potatoes,” though these may have actually been kūmara (sweet potatoes). Cooking with bronze pots would have been unusual for Māori at the time, as bronze was not produced on the island, and Māori had no trade routes that would have supplied it. Māori typically cooked by placing heated stones in wooden vessels. According to Colenso, the women of the village said it had been with them for many years, having been found in tree roots after a storm toppled the tree. Colenso recognized the object as part of a ship’s bell and traded a cast iron pot for it.
Some details of this story have been challenged. In particular, the small size of the bell has raised questions about whether it would have been large enough to cook with.
When Colenso died in 1899, the bell was bequeathed to the Colonial Museum, which is now the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Researchers, including some who examined the bell in the 1970s, concluded that the script on the bell was an archaic form of Tamil, suggesting the bell may date from 1400–1540, possibly from the Later Pandya period.
The inscription on the bell, written in ancient Tamil script, roughly translates to:
“Mohoyideen Baksh’s ship’s bell”. This line indicates that the bell likely belonged to a Tamil-merchant, possibly of South Indian or Sri Lankan origin. “Mohoyideen Baksh” is believed to be the name of the ship’s captain or owner. Based on the script and craftsmanship, experts estimate the bell dates back to the 14th or 15th century, though some theories suggest even earlier origins.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the Tamil Bell is the unanswered question: How did it end up in New Zealand? Some researchers believe there may have been unrecorded pre-European contact between Māori and seafarers from Asia. While there’s no definitive proof, the bell serves as an archaeological anomaly that invites deeper investigation into ancient trade routes.
This mysterious bell has long stirred debate among historians and enthusiasts of pre-colonial maritime exploration. Two articles from the Waikato Times, written decades apart, illustrate this ongoing intrigue.
On 23 May 1936, E.H.S. Kawhia reported on a shipwreck at Ruapuke Beach, near Whaingaroa (Raglan).
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WT19360523.2.140.4
The origins of the wreck were unclear, but Kawhia proposed a bold connection: the wreck may have belonged to a Tamil ship, possibly the same one that brought the now-famous Tamil Bell to New Zealand shores. Kawhia’s interpretation linked this artifact with an early, unrecorded Tamil maritime presence in the South Pacific.
Decades later, on 30 July 2012, Tom O’Connor responded with a counter-argument.
https://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/waikato-times/20120730/281968899818555
Writing again in the Waikato Times, O’Connor disputed any link between the shipwreck and the Tamil Bell. He argued that the bell was likely a traded or gifted item, arriving in Aotearoa via European contact, rather than through direct Tamil navigation. In O’Connor’s view, while the bell’s origin is undoubtedly Tamil, its presence in New Zealand does not imply Tamil ships ever made landfall.
This disagreement between Kawhia and O’Connor reflects a deeper question: Could Tamil or South Asian navigators have reached New Zealand before Western explorers? While there is no definitive evidence to confirm this, the possibility opens a window into a forgotten chapter of global exploration, where Indian Ocean maritime cultures may have extended their reach far beyond traditionally acknowledged boundaries.
The setting for this mystery, Whaingaroa (Raglan), adds another layer of meaning. The Māori name, often translated as “the long pursuit” or “the waiting bay,” hints at the region’s deep spiritual and historical ties to the sea. Māori oral traditions contain references to visits from other seafaring peoples, suggesting an openness to interpreting new evidence in light of indigenous knowledge.
Whether or not Tamil navigators arrived on New Zealand shores centuries ago remains unresolved. But the Tamil Bell continues to resonate—both as an artifact and as a symbol—inviting us to reconsider the complexity and reach of early maritime contact across the world.
The Tamil Bell is more than a historical oddity. For the Tamil community in New Zealand, it serves as a powerful and symbolic reminder of their ancient maritime heritage and long-standing global connections. Tamil traders were known for their navigational skills and active presence across Southeast Asia, the Arabian Sea, and beyond.
For the Māori, the bell reflects the dynamic and adaptive nature of their own cultural history—integrating and repurposing objects from the outside world into everyday life, long before European colonization.
Today, the Tamil Bell remains safely housed in Te Papa, where it continues to draw interest from scholars and curious visitors. Despite being a small item, it raises big questions about the reach of Tamil maritime activity, the possibility of pre-colonial trans-oceanic contact, and the hidden threads of connection that link diverse cultures across time and distance.
In an era where we often focus on borders and divisions, the Tamil Bell stands as a humble but powerful symbol of shared human journeys, curiosity, trade, and interaction.
By George Arulanantham ONZM QSM JP – Auckland
