Vangioni Collection
Louis Vangioni was a New Zealand born collector. He and earlier his Italian born father Joseph operated a general store and cocksfoot grass seed wholesaling business at Akaroa. The store is still in existence More.
Vangioni started collecting as a boy exploring sandhills and caves of Banks Peninsula and undertaking excavations. He catalogued his collection and by 1951 it contained about 6000 items. It included mere, tiki and many fishhooks, in human bone, whale bone and wood. Flutes, tatooing chisels and combs also featured. He was 78 in 1951 and died in that year.
His knowledge of the Maori place names of Akaroa was recorded by D J C Pringle and was published in 1967, reprinted in 1970. Old Maori Place Names Round Akaroa Harbour. Akaroa Mail. On line.
Mould (n.d.:71) has a vignette about Vangioni and his collection. Mould, J, n.d. (1976) More Tales of Banks Peninsula, Privately published.
Source: The Weekly News, Wed Feb 7, 1951. Article by Neil Robinson.
