Review of the archaeology of foveaux strait, New Zealand

Abstract

A recent archaeological survey of the south coast of the South Island of New Zealand highlighted some unusual features of the occupation of this part of the country. Although there was clear evidence for widespread settlement early in the prehistoric sequence and again early in the period of sustained European contact, there was a marked absence of evidence for settlement during much of the intervening period. Furthermore, there was a bias towards relatively small sites except where stone procurement or working were the major focus of activity. To investigate these features a radiocarbon dating programme was carried out alongside a study of specific aspects of material culture and site distribution. The results confirmed the initial impression of an all but invisible archaeological presence in the Foveaux Strait area for a period of up to two centuries until about the contact period. Three models to explain this pattern of settlement are evaluated and the one that is selected as the best fit is a resource network model in which Foveaux Strait may never have been permanently settled in prehistory but was always peripheral to wider economic imperatives