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Colonisation involves the settling of land that is uninhabited or lived in by only a few people. The site at Wairau Bar in the South Island gives us an idea of how New Zealand was first colonised. The first settlers were mainly hunters and collectors who stayed in an area only while the food supply was good. Therefore they rarely had permanent homes.
The huge number of moa bones and eggs that were found at Wairau Bar would suggest that it was a camp set up for hunters of the now extinct species. The recovery of many adzes, or their parts, shows that the site was also used as a butchery.
But moa was not the only source of food. The location of the camp at the north end of the sand bar was perfect for catching the plentiful supply of fish and other birds. The food was then cooked in the ovens, or hangi as the Maori called it. This involved the slow cooking of food using wood, kindling and rocks.
The burial grounds at Wairau Bar give us an insight into the culture of the first New Zealanders. Buried alongside the bodies would be items such as necklaces or adzes which would indicate the status or position in society of the deceased.
The east-west lying of the corpses at Wairau Bar is a feature shared by the islanders of Eastern Polynesia. Other similarities have also been observed, like the shape of tools. With this evidence, archaeologists now believe that Eastern Polynesia was the homeland of the Maori’ ancestors.
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