Resource Procurement and Inter-regional Connections in pre-contact Taranaki, New Zealand: new evidence from geochemical analysis of obsidian.

Abstract

Early Polynesian colonists in New Zealand were quick to identify key economic resources. One such resource – obsidian – was transported widely during the early settlement phase of New Zealand. Here, we present the results of portable X-ray fluorescence analysis of obsidian artefacts from five early settlement sites and two later sites in Taranaki on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island. Our research suggests obsidian from six source areas was present in Taranaki sites, with the majority of material coming from Mayor Island and the nearby Coromandel Peninsula. Low rates of cortical material suggest a down-the-line procurement process, although this result is made equivocal by evidence of relatively expedient use of obsidian in the early period. Finally, the marked variation between Taranaki sites and contemporary sites further north appears consistent with the development of regionally specific procurement strategies very early in pre-contact New Zealand.