EARLY MAORI SITES

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29916, 1 September 1962, Page 8

EARLY MAORI SITES

Concern Over Destruction

The wilful nr unwitting destruction of Maori arohaeotogical sites by persons or groups excavating carelessly was causing particular eon. eern to the New Zealand Archaeological Association and a system of protection administered by the Nations' Historic Places Trust, had been pro-posed, said a renort from the association received by the Canterbury Museum Trust Board. “The activities .of some members of the New Zealand Youth Historic, Scientific, Research and Recording S-rietv at Mussel Point. Marlborough, in August last year, were of inadequate standard. One of the results of this excavation was the cancellation by the manager of the property concerned, of all permission to dig.” the report said. The question whether the earliest phase of Maori culture in New Zealand should be referred to as the Archaic East Polynesian period, instead of the Moa-hunter period, caused one of the most heated debates among archaeologists at the Royal Society Congress, said the director of the Museum (Dr R. S. Duff) in his report.

The adze, fish-hook and ornamental styles of the era were of an early east Polynesian type, and this was the basis of the suggested change. Dr. Duff said. Dr. Duff said he favoured the use of the term “archaic” as a stylistic term for artifacts of this type wherever found in the development of Maori culture, but that the phase to Which they belonged should still be called the Moa-hunter period, as this activity was a primary economic factor of the period.