This book uses Māori Kaupapa (a Māori approach, practice) to provide unique insights toward the anthropological understanding of power and place in Heretaunga, New Zealand. It examines the power of Māori leaders and ancient and modern archaeological and historical landscapes over the past six centuries. It highlights Māori warfare, characterized by impressive fortifications known as pā. Severe impacts of the colonial period are also discussed, including demographic calamity, changes in settlement pattern, and the innovative ways that Māori leaders sought to navigate the last half of the nineteenth century. Recent history and modern issues are examined as well, particularly the rise of tribal self-government. Importantly, the roles of female leaders are examined for each period. This book will be of interest across many disciplines for those interested in conflict and warfare, complex pre-state level societies, colonialism, power and women, and indigenous adaptions to globalization.

This work investigates the reliability of marine shell for radiocarbon dating New Zealand prehistory. Paired charcoal and marine shell radiocarbon ages from archaeological sites excavated for this study and from already dated archaeological contexts are compared, and two issues are considered: first, factors which can affect the radiocarbon dating of marine shell and charcoal samples; second, the effect of using either of two marine shell calibration methods in the comparison of marine shell and charcoal radiocarbon dates. A critique of the two methods available for calibrating marine shell radiocarbon ages is undertaken to examine the effect of each on age calibration, and in the comparison of marine shell and charcoal radiocarbon ages. In light of the results of the research, the time of colonisation of New Zealand is proposed based on archaeological sites with acceptable charcoal and marine shell radiocarbon chronologies.

First published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.