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Major General Horatio Gordon Robley with his collection of tattooed Maori heads, 1895 British Major General Horatio Gordon Robley poses with his collection of more than 30 preserved heads of the Indigenous Māori tribesmen of New Zealand.⁠ ⁠ Throughout the 1860s, Robley served the British Army in the New Zealand Wars that saw the Crown's colonial government attempt to dominate a far smaller Māori force in order to take and plunder as much of their native land as possible. The Māori referred to the conflict as "Te riri Pākehā," meaning "the white man's anger."⁠ ⁠ When Robley came home after the brutal fighting ended, he did so with several dozen Māori heads, known as "mokomokai." After years of displaying them proudly, Robley attempted to sell them back to New Zealand and profit off of his macabre collection. Though his offer was refused, the American Museum of Natural History in New York soon accepted — for an even higher sum.⁠ ⁠ See more of history