NZJA abstract

NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY
ISSN 0110~540X

ABSTRACT

Functional and Technological

Explanations for the Variation Among

Early New Zealand Adzes

Marianne Turner1

ABSTRACT

The influence of function on adze morphology has been little studied. A replication

experiment in the manufacture of a small outrigger canoe was undertaken and the

results compared with the analysis of 11,886 adzes from New Zealand museum

collections and excavation assemblages. A functional typology was developed

and compared with existing typologies such as that of Duff (1950). Six functional

types were found to correspond generally to Duff’s six types, but Duff’s varieties

were primarily influenced by different raw materials and manufacturing techniques.

Within functional parameters, raw material quality and the technological solutions

to working them explain much of the variability exhibited by adzes in New Zealand.

The results of this research have implications for Polynesian adze studies and suggest

directions for future research.

Keywords: ADZE FUNCTION, REPLICATION EXPERIMENTATION, ADZE

TYPOLOGY, FUNCTIONAL TYPOLOGY, TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS,

STONE QUALITY.

1 New Zealand Historic Places Trust, PO Box 836, Kerikeri, New Zealand

Ó Copyright New Zealand Archaeological Association.

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