Maori Subsistence Change: Zooarchaeological Evidence from the Prehistoric Dog of New Zealand

Abstract

The dental wear and the post-cranial dimensions of the prehistoric dog of New Zealand (kuri) are shown to reflect the Maori environment in which it lived. Midshaft dimensions became smaller and tooth wear advanced in late prehistoric groups. Nutrition is likely to have been the single most important causative factor in the observed temporal shift. The changes match archaeological evidence for a subsistence move by Maori away from large game taxa toward a focus on marine and horticultural products. It is suggested that there is potential for profitable collaboration between zooarchaeologists, studying commensal species, and physical anthropologists involved in the analysis of prehistoric human remains. KEYWORDS: Maori, dog, kuri, skeletal variation, tooth wear, New Zealand.