The Ngati Tiare Adze Cache: further evidence of prehistoric contact between West Polynesia and the Southern Cook Islands

Abstract

AbstractBoth morphology and ethnohistory suggest that the adzes in the Ngati Tiare cache (Rarotonga, Southern Cook Islands) are derived from Samoa. If true, this is further documentation of post‐colonisation contact between West and East Polynesia, regions which were generally throught to have remined isolated from one another following human settlement. The results of geochemical analysis and thin section petrography indicate a very high probability that the adzes are Samoan with a close match to the islands of Manu'a. This provides a close correspondence with Rarotongan oral tradition. These sourcing results are discussed along with those available for adzes from other sites in the Southern Cooks. This evidence demonstrates significant interaction with West Polynesia during the early phase of Southern Cooks prehistory.