Talk:Wairau Bar

Editing fix requested
I hope some more expert editor can fix my effort.Wairau Bar is one on Nz's most important historical sites and deserves far better than the lame article that previously existed.It will be very interesting to see what further research by Dr Buckley's team reveals.I look forward to finding out about the information revealed by the 2010 teeth study as it may show a very precise location somewhere in the East Pacific-Cook Islands ?And why did these Polynesions need such huge umu?I think about Cook's time the entire South Is population was estimated at about 3000.No evidence of waka or even paddles?Strange as these must have been a great taonga .At Sutton Hoo the Viking boat lasted more or less intact since about the 8th century???Claudia —Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.237.35.32 (talk) 03:51, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Questions on Archaic Maori-polynesian colonists
The latest reserch on the Wairau Bar raises many questions.If we accept that Polynesions first arrived in The Nth Is about 1280 then the older W/B people(dated from Moa shell fragments to 1288-1300 would almost certainly have come from East Polynesia.Did this lot migrate from The Nth Island or did they land on the Sth Island?Either seems possible given the polynesion wanderlust.It seems from the skeletons that this was a small group somewhere between a whanau and a small hapu in size ie about one waka load of people.Why then did they make such a big umu -assuming the "big enough to feed 1000 people" is correct.How big were umu in East polynesia?Could an umu be used for some other purpose other than an oven(and later a midden)?Some kind of shelter perhaps?That coastal location must be quite exposed in winter assuming they lived there all year round.Claudia jan 2011 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.237.35.32 (talk) 00:41, 22 January 2011 (UTC)


 * "All the adults showed healed bone fractures, indicating a well-balanced diet and a supportive community structure". Perhaps. But doesn't it also suggest a dangerous or violent community or environment?203.184.41.226 (talk) 07:00, 23 October 2012 (UTC)

Average age correct still?
It is hard to tell from the little bit of the freely available Buckley 2009-10 study if the average age is correct or not.With 1/3 of the adults living to 50+ compared to Duff's data of around 30yrs it seems on the face of it that the average age is wrong??Someone who has read the full article might be able to improve on my effort to update the information.Its a bit on the nose to charge for access to such a vital study-it should be free and in the public domain.Perhaps Rangitane arent the only ones with a mercenary bent!Claudia Feb 2011  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 222.153.153.162 (talk) 21:15, 2 February 2011 (UTC) The data from 2010 clearly shows that previous estimations of average age were poor. The investigations done to date (and likely to be the last ever due to the deal done with Rangitane)show that it is highly likely that children and teenagers were buried elsewhere on the Wairau bar site. With many adults dying in their 20s and the oldest 39 the possible average age was very low-in the range of 12-24 years. This is more consistent with the normal life expectancy of neolithic people. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.62.226.243 (talk) 23:16, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

Large Hangi Pits
The description of the large hangi pits fits exactly the description of the common Umu Ti in the polynesian islands.The key feature being that they are larger than normal cooking ovens. They were apparently reasonably common in Otago and South Canterbury. One on the Otago Peninsula is described in detail by Hardwicke Knight in the Polynesian Soc Vol 75 No 3 Sept 1966. It was a ring shaped pit with an outer diameter of 6.3m and a maximum diameter of 4m across the hole,with a rim raised about .5m. It contained 400 stones averaging 10kg, set flat against the sides and the bottom. The stones were very close fitting on the bottom.The floor was flat with diameter of 1.5m with vertical sides.Traces of charcoal were found in the bottom of the pit. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 222.152.198.245 (talk) 22:30, 2 November 2011 (UTC)