The Dynamics of Māori Socio-political Interaction: Social Network Analyses of Obsidian Circulation in Northland Aotearoa

Summary

The Polynesian colonists who settled New Zealand touched off the creation of a type of society not found in remote Oceania. Over the span of several centuries relatively autonomous village-based groups transformed into larger territorial hapū lineages, which later formed even larger geo-political iwi associations. A social network analysis of the spatial and temporal distribution of obsidian artefacts, an important stone resource that was used for a variety of tools, evaluates where and when new types of social forms came about in relation to diverse social and environmental contexts. Incorporating data from pXRF sourcing of obsidian artefacts and obsidian hydration dating we investigate the dynamic complexities of social interaction in Northland and gain insights into how Māori society was transformed from village-based groups to powerful hapū and iwi.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21147