Bulldozer Uncovers Old Maori Skeleton
A human skeleton, believed to be between 150 and 250 years old, has been found at Birdlings Flat. It has been identified by the Director of the Canterbury Museum (Dr. R. S. Duff) as the remains of an elderly Maori woman.
The skeleton was uncovered by a bulldozer quarrying shingle earlier this week. The contractor informed the police, who called in Dr. Duff. “The skeleton is the remains of an elderly Maori woman, and the site has been identified as the former village of Waikakahi,” Dr. Duff said last evening. “This village, according to tradition, was established by the first member of the Ngai Tahu tribe to settle in Canterbury. He was the chief, Tu Te Kawa, a direct ancestor of the Little River Maoris of today. “Tu Te Kawa and his section of the tribe, according to tradition, migrated from the neighbourhood of the Wellington Harbour about the year 1700. The village of Waikakahi was occupied until 1825.”
The Maori woman whose skeleton has been found lived within that period, he said. Representations had been made to the Wairewe County Council to have the bulldozers diverted from the site of the village, and to keep the area intact.
'The site is held in great veneration by the local Maori people. They will be invited by the Canterbury Museum to rebury the remains of the Maori woman if they so wish. "Although the site of the village has been known to the museum for several years, it had no plans to excavate on the site without the knowledge and approval of the Maori people,” Dr. Duff said. The Wairewa County Clerk (Mr L. Wealleans) said the skeleton had been found on private property. The manager of the property had assured him that no more work would be done in the area in the meantime.
"We will not do any work on the adjoining property, and it is hoped that Dr. Duff will visit the area and define the site of the Waikakahi village so that we will not disturb it in future," he said.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19640229.2.170
Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30378, 29 February 1964, Page 15
Word Count
349Bulldozer Uncovers Old Maori Skeleton Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30378, 29 February 1964, Page 15
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.
Log in