'Rainbow Warrior' lei

A ‘lei’ is a garland or wreath of objects strung together to be worn. It is common in Hawaii, the Philippines and across Polynesia. Leis are often given as gifts as an expression of love, peace, honour or friendship, or to loved ones who are departing.
This garland or ‘lei’ was made in 2000 in memory of the ‘Rainbow Warrior’, a ship which was deliberately sunk in an incident of state-sponsored terrorism in 1985. The ‘Rainbow Warrior’ was owned by the prominent and widely supported environmental campaigning organisation, Greenpeace, who were active throughout the Oil Age. The ship was involved in campaigns against whaling, nuclear testing and nuclear waste dumping. 
‘Rainbow Warrior’ was bombed and sunk in Auckland on its way to protest against a planned French nuclear test in Moruroa in French Polynesia. A photographer, Fernando Pereira, died in the attack. The bombing was undertaken in a covert operation by the ‘Action Division’, an undercover branch of the French foreign intelligence agency. The French government were ordered to pay Greenpeace US$8.1million in damages in 1987.
(Gifted to the Museum by Rebecca Ward, Queensland, Australia.)