ANTHRO 207

Coming of the Maori: Archaeology of Aotearoa (New Zealand)


Please note: this is archived course information from 2018 for ANTHRO 207.

Description

In this course we use archaeological evidence to investigate the origins and prehistory of Māori, beginning in the ancestral homeland of East Polynesia and continuing through to the early Māori-European contact period (c. 1840).

We consider ongoing debates about when and how New Zealand was first settled, the challenges faced by tropical Polynesians adapting to a temperate environment and other aspects of Māori settlements, subsistence economy, material culture and sociopolitical life over time. The course emphasises how archaeological techniques can be used to understand cultural dynamics in the past, and in particular those relevant to Aotearoa New Zealand’s early human history.

Learning Outcomes:

A student who successfully completes this course will have the opportunity to:

  • Acquire knowledge of the archaeological history of Aotearoa New Zealand and pre-European Māori origins and lifeways
  • Understand and carry out library research and critical analysis
  • Acquire skills in academic literacy, critical thinking and cross-cultural perspective

View the course syllabus

Availability 2018

Semester 2

Lecturer(s)

Coordinator(s) Dr Ben Davies

Reading/Texts

Tangata Whenua: An Illustrated History, Atholl Anderson, Judith Binney, Aroha Harris, 2014. Auckland: Bridget Williams Books

Assessment

Coursework only; no exam

Points

ANTHRO 207: 15 points

Prerequisites

60 points passed 

Restrictions

ANTHRO 365