  |
|||
|
|
Page 3
(Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand / Te Puna Mätauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image)
They were also more than capable of beautiful personal ornamentation. Necklaces of whale teeth, and carved stone show the spirit of the people, but they also used bone, ivory and shell. We only imagine how they used the new country's feathers in combination with these items. The new land was indeed a land of plenty. Many of the crops that they bought with them flourished. Despite the difficulties of a new climate, the settlers managed to adapt and learn to grow, taro, yam, gourd and kumara to local conditions. They learned to over winter the tubers of kumara in the cold weather, and made walled gardens to help with drainage. It would have been hard work, but worth it. They of course supplemented their diet with foraged foods, like fern roots and fruits from the tree. Meat would have come in the form of the moa (until they were hunted to extinction) and the bounty of the sea. Maori were adept at weaving nets and making fish hooks from bone. Of course the most popular way to cook meat would have been in the hangi- a method still used in New Zealand today. A pit is dug in the earth and hot stones place on it. Once the food has been put on top of this, a layer of soil in put over the top, this keeps in steam and heat. The archaeological history of the land is a fascinating one, and one that is still being discovered. In later articles I will look at other aspects of these first peoples of Aotearoa.
The copyright of the article The First People - Page 3 in New Zealand History is owned by . Permission to republish The First People - Page 3 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Philippa Jane Ballantine's New Zealand History topic, please visit the Discussions page. |
||
|
|
|||
