Why did Maori bury artefacts in the wetlands of pre-contact Aotearoa/New Zealand?

Abstract

A significant number of Maori waterlogged wooden artefacts have been found in New Zealand. Although some were associated with occupations, many were deliberately buried in wetlands. These wetland finds are a small subset of the full range of wooden artefacts found in occupation sites. Unfortunately, they tend to be found by chance during farm drainage; consequently archaeologists seldom see the finds in context. Only a small percentage of wetland sites have been investigated and the reports have largely been uncritical in their approach to interpretation and terminology.We advocate further research of wetland sites, employing three methodological approaches: contextual archaeology, scientific and experimental studies, and ethnographic analogy as ways of interpreting the behaviour and processes involved. Using these methods, analysis of the limited data suggests that Maori may have buried objects for either permanent interment or temporary burial.These reasons are predominantly functional, which contrasts with some European interpretations of buried objects. We suggest that there are advantages to studying such sites in New Zealand, as there has been less landscape change, ethnographic analogy can be used (with care), and the archaeological record, being recent, is well preserved.