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Maori and European landscapes at Te Puna, Bay of Islands, New Zealand, 1805–1850
Author(s) -
Middleton Angela
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
archaeology in oceania
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1834-4453
pISSN - 0728-4896
DOI - 10.1002/j.1834-4453.2003.tb00534.x
Subject(s) - indigenous , archaeology , bay , cultural landscape , colonialism , ethnology , geography , history , historical geography , ecology , human geography , economic geography , biology
In early nineteenth century New Zealand the arrival of missionaries and whalers initiated two different kinds of European relationships with indigenous Maori, which impacted on the indigenous landscape. This paper examines the details of Maori and European interaction at Te Puna, in the Bay of Islands, northern New Zealand. At Te Puna there is evidence for Maori agricultural intensification and fortification, and early European missionary villages, deserted by the mid‐nineteenth century. My methods combine historical archaeology and an anthropological approach to history to re‐examine the landscape, inhabitants, and events of early nineteenth century cultural interaction through an analysis of the archaeological record and historic accounts and images. Cultural landscapes are examined in regard to key themes: Maori concepts of mana and tapu, evidence for cultivation, and European and Maori perceptions of the colonial era at this place.