Before starting an archaeological fieldwork project it is important to research background information about the place. This includes having some understanding of geology, soil types, endemic vegetation and geomorphology. Researching previous archaeological work in the area is also important, including what was found and some indication of age of occupation in the area. In this case examination of any artefacts found in the area is also relevant.
Auckland Museum has a collection of Maori stone artefacts from Ahuahu Great Mercury Island. The previous owner of the island, Pat Mizen, who lived on the island from 1920 – 1977, picked up adzes and other artefacts exposed in sheep tracks or by natural erosion. He kept a record of where many of the artefacts were found, which is important for archaeologists wanting to analyse styles of artefacts and technology of flaking and working with stone. The Mizen collection of 486 objects was purchased by Auckland Museum in 1980.
It is important to remember that these artefacts have no known history. We do not know what occupation layer in an archaeological site they originated from, or when they were made. We also do not know what the artefact was with when it was buried in the ground, whether it be another artefact, or a house or fireplace. This is the kind of information to be recorded when archaeologists find an artefact during an excavation, and the context often gives an indication of what it might have been used for.
The majority of the objects in the Mizen Collection are adzes and they come in all life stages including finished, broken and repaired. There are also those in the process of manufacture so that the adze shape is apparent but final shaping and grinding has not occurred. Basalt from the Tahanga source at nearby Opito is the most common stone material present although there are also adzes made from metasomatised argillite sourced to the Nelson-Marlborough area. Obsidian from Mayor Island and other places is also present and was used as cutting and scraping tools. Chert, which is similar in appearance to flint, occurs on the island and was also well used.
Sometimes the style of adze gives an indication of how old it is. The illustrated adze is known to archaeologists as a ‘hogback’ and was a heavy duty adze with a relatively narrow cutting blade, used to remove large chunks of wood from a log when making a canoe or bowl.
As well as looking at the manufacturing process archaeologists can analyse the artefacts from the perspective of where the stone material came from to interpret communication or trade routes. The results can be compared to other analysed artefact collections in the region to understand how people moved around and interacted with other groups of people.
– Louise Furey (Auckland Museum)