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Thursday, September 29, 2005
Kaua'i cave tells 10,000-year tale
The Makauwahi Sinkhole, the largest limestone cave complex in the Hawaiian Islands, is yielding an unprecedented look into Hawai'i's history, with a record of life that dates back 10,000 years.
The impact from the arrival of the first humans in the Islands also is immediately visible in the cave's sediments. There are the bones of rats, which traveled with voyaging Polynesians, and evidence of the immediate collapse of plant species on which rats fed, such as loulu palms. Later there are fishhooks, pieces of outrigger canoes, charcoal from early imu, and other artifacts such as stone tools and a round basalt mirror. And there are human burials, which are being carefully preserved in place.
The site also has turned out to be the richest fossil site in the Hawaiian Islands. Burney and his fellow diggers have found the bones of at least 45 species of birds. There are strange creatures, such as turkey-sized flightless ducks and a tiny duck with eyes near the back of its head that may have been a night-feeding creature with some characteristics of New Zealand's kiwi. There are the remains of owls, a bat, a gull and several forest birds that are all now extinct.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Linking of Languages May Speak Volumes
Linguists have devised a new way of linking languages, which they say has allowed them to reconstruct a network of the languages spoken in islands near New Guinea.
How Some Languages Are Linked The new method is designed for languages so old that little trace of their common vocabulary remains. It forges connections between languages through grammatical features, which change less quickly than words.
With the new tool, historians may be able to peer considerably further back in time than the 5,000 to 7,000 years or so that many linguists see as the limit beyond which no sure connections can be made between languages.
The authors of the new method say the relationships they can construct may be 10,000 years or older."
William Foley, a linguist at the University of Sydney, has noted that the word structure of the Bougainville languages resembles those of Trans New Guinea, the languages spoken in a broad swath across the New Guinea highlands.
He has also found similarities between the Trans New Guinea languages and those of Australia, to which the island of Papua New Guinea was joined until 8,000 years ago in a super continent known as Sahul.
Could all these languages be echoes of the ancient tongue spoken by the first humans to arrive in Sahul? "That is part of the reason why we care about these languages and continue to look at them," Dr. Dunn said.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
New Zealand Archaeology
Archaeology in New Zealand Vol 48(3) out now:
Notes and News
Fieldwork
Christine Arvidson: Excavations at Blackhead
Nev Ritchie:Owen Wilkes
Atholl Anderson, Tom Higham and Nev Ritchie: Italian Creek Rockshelter
Marianne Turner, Kate Hill and Rod Clough: Chinese artefact from Wakefield St."
Saturday, September 24, 2005
CAR Australasian Archaeometry Conference 2005
Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
December 12th -15th 2005
The 2005 Australasian Archaeometry Conference will be held at the ANU, Canberra, hosted by the Department of Archaeology and Natural History, RSPAS, and the Centre for Archaeological Research."
Repeated from Ausarch-L:
David Addison in American Samoa asked me to tell you all that he is interested in having students work with/for him over there. You can contact him on davea@aspower.com
There's also this website http://www.aspower.com/aspaarcheology.htm
American Samoa Power Archaeology
Friday, September 23, 2005
New 'Hobbit' disease link claim
The find caused a sensation when it was announced in 2004
Scientists are to present new evidence that the tiny human species dubbed 'The Hobbit' may not be what it seems.
The researchers say their findings strongly support an idea that the 1m- (3ft-) tall female skeleton from Indonesia is a diseased modern human.
Their claims are made in a BBC Horizon programme to be screened on Thursday.
The Hobbit's discoverers are adamant it is an entirely separate human species, which evolved a small size in isolation on its remote island home of Flores.
But there's a problem with the sceptics' version of the story. The Hobbit team has found more human remains. These include a lower jaw with the same unusual features as the original find (including twin roots to the molars).
"Let's buy into [the sceptics'] argument just for a bit of fun," said Professor Bert Roberts of the University of Wollongong, Australia, a member of the discovery team.
"We've got a complete lower jaw that's identical to the first so there we have a situation where we've now got to have two really badly diseased individuals.
Archaeologist a Living Legend
Auckland archaeologist Sue Bulmer was awarded Living Legend status by Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard last night.
Dr Bulmer heads the Friends of Mangawhau group and has been involved with preserving other volcanic cones. "
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Historic gold mining relic to be preserved
Strengthening work on an historic gold mining relic, which may be the only one of its kind in the world, is set to begin.
The 16m high, 101-year-old pumphouse at Waihi, in the Bay of Plenty, has been closed for several years for safety reasons. But approval is expected to be given within the new few weeks to start strengthening work to stop it collapsing.
'It will reduce the risk significantly of it collapsing because of the tilt,' said Langley Cavers, from the Hauraki District council. "
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
The Labour Party of New Zealand Arts, Culture, and Heritage policy
National and Labour did finaly post a new arts culture and heritage policies for the election - Your editor got tired of looking for them. On the expectiaiton that there will be a Labour lead government here is what they came up with. Heavy on self-congratulation but with some new commitments at the end.
Environmental Defence Society New Publications
The Community Guide to Coastal Development
New Zealand has an extensive and diverse coast. It is the place where both Maori and Pakeha first settled the country and, today, most New Zealanders live on the coast.
Many coastal areas are experiencing strong development pressure as more people choose to live and holiday there. Development can have both positive and negative impacts on the coastal environment depending on how it is planned for, designed and managed.
This Guide provides helpful and practical information for people who wish to promote high quality development on New Zealand's coasts.
The Community Guide to Landscape Protection
New Zealand has a great diversity of impressive landscapes. These landscapes make a significant contribution to the country's economic, social and cultural well-being. They are increasingly under threat from poorly planned and designed development.
This Guide provides practical information for people who wish to obtain better protection for New Zealand's landscapes.
Employment offered
The Auckland Regional Council Heritage Department is seeking a student to undertake cultural heritage management support tasks during the 2005 -2006 summer vacation.
The work will primarily involve the maintenance and development of the Council's historic places database. "
Friday, September 16, 2005
English Heritage chair to speak at Chch Heritage Week
English Heritage chairman to speak during Carter Group Heritage Week
One of England's foremost authorities on heritage, Sir Neil Cossons, will deliver the keynote address at the official opening of the annual Carter Group Heritage Week in Christchurch, at 5.30pm, 7 October.
Sir Neil was flown from England by Beca as the Carter Group Heritage Week guest of honour to participate in the annual celebration of the architectural, social and environmental heritage of Christchurch.
Bookings are essential for Sir Neil's keynote address at the Regent on Worcester, Worcester Boulevard, (phone 365 2486) where he will draw on a lifetime of experience and contribution to the conservation of buildings, landscapes, and collections in England. "
Cyanobacterial bloom found in Hawke's Bay
Hawke's Bay District Health Board's (HBDHB) public health unit has issued a warning to the public to be aware of the potential dangers of cyanobacterial algal bloom.
A recent case where two dogs became temporarily paralysed after drinking water from a contaminated waterway on a private property at Poukawa, (near Te Hauke) south of Hastings, has lead to Hawke's Bay Regional Council and Hastings District Council investigating the Poukawa Stream. "
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Aus Conference
19th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Human Biology
Molecules to Morphs
5th - 8th December 2005
The University of New South Wales
Kensington, Sydney"
Thursday, September 08, 2005
NZAS 2005 General Election
New Zealand Association of Scientists
The 2005 General Election: science policy statements
The NZAS has solicited science policy statements from each of the political parties who were represented in Parliament as at 1 June 2005 and who announced their intention to contest the 2005 General Election. "
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Mathematician models collapse of Easter Island society
A researcher at Rochester Institute of Technology is unraveling a mystery surrounding Easter Island. William Basener, assistant professor of mathematics, has created the first mathematical formula to accurately model the island's monumental societal collapse.
Between 1200 and 1500 A.D., the small, remote island, 2,000 miles off the coast of Chile, was inhabited by over 10,000 people and had a relatively sophisticated and technologically advanced society. During this time, inhabitants used large boats for fishing and navigation, constructed numerous buildings and built many of the large statues, known as Tiki Gods, for which the island is now best known.
Comment: Tiki gods? Moai is their usual name. Isn't all this collapse thing all getting a bit silly? Easter Island has few natural resources. The fishery is largely pelagic. It would never have been enormously productive even to people with large boats - and the contact era people were still fishing. The main island birds would have been gone in a few generations - if they were ever a major resource they were gone early, not coincident with some collapse. What is the evidence that the population was ever 10,000? Getting to population numbers from archaeology is always difficult - just as difficult here as anywhere. Easter Island was far more productive used for gardens than left in its original narrow range of trees. At contact the residents were growing a wide range of crops. So they were fighting and degrading each other's ancestors - welcome to Polynesia. What evidence is there that the ahu were all in some pristine state at some point in the past? Most collapse merchants seem to think they were. The collapse theory seems to rest on the projection of some past golden age onto Easter Island. Sure they altered the natural environment drastically - but they were inventive in getting round the resulting lack of wood in their use of stone structures and caves. The late residents had a rich culture.
The collapse theory has been seized on by catastrophists looking for a model for an environmental disaster threatening our modern society. Because so many have said it happened doesn’t mean it did.
Friday, September 02, 2005
SHIPWRECKS IN NEW ZEALAND: PUBLIC HERITAGE OR PRIVATEPROPERTY?”
INTERNATIONAL LAW ASSOCIATION
(NEW ZEALAND BRANCH)
and
MARITIME LAW ASSOCIATION
OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
EVENING SEMINAR
SPEAKERS Paul Myburgh and Piers Davies
Paul Myburgh is a Senior Lecturer at Auckland University Faculty of Law. He
is the author of monographs and numerous articles on Maritime Law in
international journals.
Piers Davies is a Maritime Lawyer with a particular interest and involvement
in Salvage and Wreck. He is a member of the ILA Cultural Heritage Law
Committee.
They have just completed an extensive study of the law relating to historic
shipwrecks in NZ and the implications of the 2001 UNESCO Convention on
Underwater Cultural Heritage.
CHAIRED BY Gregory J Thwaite
TOPIC: “THE FUTURE OF SHIPWRECKS IN NEW ZEALAND: PUBLIC HERITAGE OR PRIVATE
PROPERTY?”
DAY & DATE: Thursday, 15 September 2005
TIME: 6.00 p.m. sharp
VENUE: Algie Lecture Theatre
2nd Floor
LAW SCHOOL BUILDING
9 Eden Crescent, AUCKLAND C.B.D.
There will be an opportunity for discussion afterwards. It is anticipated
that the seminar will last until 7.15 p.m. approximately.
There will be no charge to attend this Seminar.
R.S.V.P. your interest today to Pandy or Piers, phone 379 5026, or email us
at pandy@wwandd.co.nz
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Interpretation Handbook and Standard (2005)
The Department of Conservation Interpretation Handbook and Standard is a 'how to' guide developed for DOC staff and volunteers and recreation and tourism concessionaire associates involved in interpretation"
Available on line.
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