The seasonal factor in prehistoric New Zealand

Abstract

Accounts of the first European explorers of New Zealand emphasize the strong relationship between Maori subsistence activities and the season of the year. Any attempt to trace the economic development during the prehistoric period must involve a valid seasonal dating technique. Although certain bird and fish species were available on a seasonal basis, they may well have been preserved and traded, thereby ruling out any estimate of the season during which a given site was occupied. Attention has therefore been given to analysing the growth characteristics of the cockle (Chione stutchburyi). The presence of daily growth rings in these bivalves permits the season of occupation of coastal sites to be ascertained. The implications of this technique are discussed in the light of a number of southern New Zealand archaeological sites.

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