Raw material identification of toki in the Auckland War Memorial Museum archaeology collection

Intern

Reese Clarke, Ngaati Maniapoto, University of Waikato

Supervisor

Vasiti Palavi, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kuia, and Dr Joshua Emmitt, Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira

Overview

Understanding how Māori adapted to Aotearoa’s environment through resource use - particularly stone - is key to uncovering sustainable systems of the past. Archaeological evidence shows early widespread transport of stone, which later shifted to more local sources and the reuse of toki (adzes). While this pattern is well-documented for obsidian, little is known about other stone types.

The Auckland War Memorial Museum's archaeology collection holds around 30,000 toki, yet the raw material of most remains unidentified. This internship focused on identifying the stone types in a sub-sample of 2,000 toki, with a particular emphasis on volcanic materials like basalt. The work aimed to open new research pathways, linking archaeological models with iwi knowledge, oral histories, and pūrākau of landscape movement and trade.

The project also explored how toki can be reconnected to their whakapapa—combining archaeological methods with mātauranga Māori. A flexible research framework was developed to support future collaboration with iwi and hapū, even where provenance is limited.

This work enriches Auckland Museum’s records and lays the groundwork for future studies. Next steps include chemical analysis, deeper integration of oral history, and mapping historical trade routes to better understand the journeys of these taonga across Aotearoa.