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The first artefact found at Kohika gives us an idea how much Maori settlement had changed. Even though they were relatively light, the palisade posts indicate that it was now necessary to defend a village’s stores.
The existence of three houses shows that Kohika was a more permanent settlement than Wairau Bar. The wharenui, or meeting house, is the grandest of these buildings. It would have been set apart by its magnificent carvings showing stories about the villagers’ ancestors.
Kohika’s location gave it many advantages. Being on the banks of Lake Kohika and close to rivers, wetlands and the coast would have made food plentiful. These waterways would also have been excellent for transport by canoe.
With moving around being so easy, it’s likely that Kohika was an important centre for trade. The large amount of obsidian, used to make high quality cutting tools, found at the site supports this theory. So too does the fact that the obsidian could be sourced to many different places in the North Island.
With all these benefits, Kohika appears to have been a wealthy village. The discovery of items such as children’s toys and tools for craft, indicate that the people of Kohika had enough time on their hands to be able to enjoy leisure activities.
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A very good report, nice job! The police are planning to search the homes of the three suspects and this information will help you identify the guilty person and then restore the museum.
If you didn't get everything correct:
Have another go. Without a thorough knowledge of the Kohika site you will not be able to identify the stolen goods and restore the Maori Museum.