WELLINGTON MAORI CLUB

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 187, 4 May 1940, Page 8

WELLINGTON MAORI CLUB

Au account of a recent visit to D’Urville Island was given by the president, Mr. E. W. VosseJer, at a recent meeting ot the Wellington Maori Club. Mr. Vosseler described the many traces of Maori occupation in the past, and the large accumulations of chips and flakes of stone used in adze-making. Apparently the stone had been roughly hewn and taken away for packing and smoothing, lie said. Several, quarries worked by natives of the neolithic age, were to be seen. Some of the grooved canoe anchors used by early occupants were still known to exist on the island. Mr. 11. M. Christie -read a paper dealing with the methods of food preserving as practised by the Maoris. lie explained in detail the various processes used in preserving kahawiai, sharks, eels, birds, karaka berries, fern root, tiipara, and the preparation of kao (dried kumara). He referred to the large quantities of sharks captured on some of the great fishing excursions, and quoted the statement made by a person who had taken part in one of these excursions that upward of 7000 sharks were caught. Ou another occasion six tons were taken. Most of these, ■fish were dried and put into store for winter consumption.