Pre-European stone tool found in remote New Zeland farmland

A stone adze was discovered by forestry crew  at Tututawa in eastern Taranaki farmland, New Zeland. The origin of the tool is yet unknown but it pre-dates the arrival of Europeans.

The stone adze (by Catherine Groenestein)

The artefact was found in an area that was being upgraded for logging access, brought to the surface by a digger. Archaeologists identified the tool as a half adze made of argillite. The origin of the adze is not yet known, but it had been created by a top craftsman and it could have been used in food preparation. The find was said to have been relatively uncommon. Following the local traditions of caring for the ancestry of the indigenous people the artefact was presented to kaumatua (Maori elected tribal elders) from Te Runanga o Ngati Ruanui tribe at a blessing ceremony in Stratford.

(by Catherine Groenestein & Taranaki Daily News)

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