Tracing the history of Māori horticulture and dogs (Canis familiaris) at two volcanic cone maunga pā, Auckland, New Zealand using microfossil and 14C analyses

Abstract

The study of Māori agriculture in New Zealand has been hindered by lack of plant remains. In the Auckland region this is exacerbated by lack of excavation sites due to urbanisation. Here we address this with plant microfossil analysis (pollen, phytoliths, and starch) of substrates following infrastructure upgrades at two of Auckland’s volcanic cone pā, Mt Wellington and Three Kings.

The microfossil and 14C results are similar to those found at other sites in the North Island, showing large scale landscape disturbance by people, and horticultural activity with the discovery of remains of the Māori introduced cultigens cf. Colocasia esculenta (taro), Cordyline cf. fruticosa (tī pore), cf. Dioscorea alata (uwhi, yam), and cf. Ipomoea batatas (kūmara, sweet potato). Results suggest that Auckland’s cones, many of which are currently undeveloped, were partly cultivated from at least the 1500s AD and potentially provide direct evidence of Māori horticulture. Given the highly variable production and preservation of different plant tissues, the study also highlights the value of combining the three different types of analyses for the study of ancient human activity.

The addition of parasitological analysis, in this case identifying Toxocara canis, a dog (Canis familiaris) helminth parasite that could have affected local people as well as dogs, extends this approach to the realm of helminthiasis. The study adds new locations to the growing list of sites for the study of early zoonotic relationships and illustrates an additional or alternative method to morphological/osteological studies for tracking the Pacific-wide spread of domesticates and commensals.

Keywords

Agriculture, ethnobotany, gardens, introductions, parasite eggs, Polynesia.