Resource Depression and Subsistence Change in Northland, New Zealand

在国家科学基金会的支持下，丽莎长冈博士将对新西兰北岛两个考古遗址的动物遗迹进行分析，以研究人类引起的资源枯竭对史前生存的作用。 与许多其他岛屿的情况一样，人们来到新西兰标志着当地动物群的丰度和分布发生了巨大变化。 人类殖民影响的最好例子之一是新西兰恐鸟的衰落和灭绝。 恐鸟是新西兰特有的大型无翅鸟类，在1000至500年前波利尼西亚殖民者到来后灭绝。 考古遗址中大量的恐鸟遗骸表明，恐鸟是新西兰史前人类觅食者饮食中不可或缺的一部分。 长冈博士之前对新西兰南岛的研究表明，史前居民的狩猎和采集经济受到了恐鸟和其他动物的枯竭的巨大影响。人类觅食者的饮食从主要是海豹和恐鸟转变为一种非常广泛的饮食，包括多达70种鱼类，鸟类和哺乳动物。 为了收获这些更广泛的资源，人们也开始开发生产力低于以前开发的地区。 这项研究继续研究资源枯竭导致的史前生存变化，但在北岛，园艺作物是欧洲人接触饮食的重要组成部分。 使用觅食理论模型的假设产生，检查1）的数量和种类的资源开发的变化; 2）的数量和种类的栖息地利用;和3）模式的屠宰和运输的恐鸟和海豹尸体。 为了测试这些预期，两个动物群组合从北岛的北岛地区进行了分析。 选择这些组合是因为它们来自分层相对较好的地点，具有大量的动物群和人工材料，可以追溯到波利尼西亚殖民化之后的时期。 此外，他们来自同一地区的著名和良好的研究Houhora（山。骆驼）网站，这将提供一个很好的补充和比较这些组合。除了增加北岛生存变化的考古知识，这项研究是感兴趣的研究人员在史前和现代的例子，人类引起的环境变化及其后果的动物群和人类的研究。 除了知识方面的兴趣外，这项研究还将对两个不同的群体产生更广泛的影响：毛利部落和学生。 分析结果将通过收藏这些藏品的新西兰机构提供给各部落，这些机构致力于在公开展览和研究中体现两种文化。 研究结果将通过向小学和中学学生教授的本科课程进一步向公众传播。

With the support of the National Science Foundation, Dr. Lisa Nagaoka, will conduct an analysis of faunal remains from two archaeological sites on the North Island of New Zealand to examine the role of human-induced resource depletion on prehistoric subsistence. As with many other island situations, the arrival of people to New Zealand marked the beginning of dramatic changes to the abundance and distribution of native fauna. One of the best examples of the effects of human colonization is the decline and extinction of the moas in New Zealand. Moas were an order of large wingless birds endemic to New Zealand that became extinct after the arrival of Polynesian colonists between 1000 to 500 years ago. The abundance of moa remains in archaeological sites suggests that moas were an integral part of the diet for the prehistoric human foragers of New Zealand. Dr. Nagaoka's previous research on the South Island of New Zealand has shown that the hunting and gathering economy of the prehistoric inhabitants was dramatically affected by the depletion of moas and other fauna. The diet of the human foragers shifted from mainly seals and moas to a very generalized diet that included up to 70 taxa of fish, birds, and mammals. To harvest this wider range of resources, people also began exploiting areas that were less productive than those previously exploited. The research funded by this grant continues to examine prehistoric subsistence change resulting from resource depletion, but on the North Island where horticultural crops were an important part of the diet by European contact. Using foraging theory models hypotheses were generated that examine changes in 1) the number and kinds of resources exploited; 2) the number and kinds of habitats utilized; and 3) the pattern of butchery and transport of moa and seal carcasses. To test these expectations, two faunal assemblages from the Northland region of the North Island are analyzed. These assemblages were selected because they are from relatively well-stratified sites with large samples of faunal and artifactual material that date to the period just after Polynesian colonization. In addition, they are from the same region as the well-known and well-studied Houhora (Mt. Camel) site, which will provide an excellent complement and comparison to these assemblages.In addition to increasing archaeological knowledge of North Island subsistence change, this research is of interest to researchers studying in both prehistoric and modern examples of human-induced environmental change and its consequences for faunal populations and humans. In addition to the intellectual interest, this research will also have broader impacts on two different populations: Maori iwi (native tribes) and students. The results of this analysis will be available to the iwi through the New Zealand institutions that house the collections, and who are committed to bicultural representation in its public displays as well as in research. The results will be further disseminated to the public through the undergraduate courses taught to elementary and middle school children.