Aotearoa New Zealand’s indigenous people, the Maori, mostly ate plant-based foods before the arrival of Europeans in the country, according to recent research by the University of Otago.
The study is one of only a small number of studies in New Zealand to use scientific analysis of kōiwi tangata (human remains) to investigate diet, childhood life histories and chromosomal sex, according to a statement by the university.
The remains were accidentally discovered during archaeological investigations associated with the Hamilton Section of the Waikato Expressway, undertaken on behalf of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi.
Before the arrival of Pākehā (Europeans), the Maori primarily used kumara (sweet potatoes) and taro, according to the research.
“These findings provide direct biological evidence that supports Māori oral histories, ethno-historical accounts and archaeological research. They show that plant foods were a central component of the diet for some individuals, including children, in this region,” said lead author Rebecca Kinaston
The researchers used advanced isotope and enamel peptide analysis of the human remains of seven tūpuna (ancestors), including four children, to determine diet, place of childhood residency and chromosomal sex.
Visual analysis of their teeth indicated diets rich in soft, starchy and sticky foods, consistent with cultivated crops such as kūmara and taro.
“The isotope results show that the children were likely weaned onto these plant foods within their first two to three years of life,” noted the statement.
The study also provides rare insight into Māori burial practices prior to the widespread influence of Christianity.
The kōiwi tangata were recovered from a borrow pit formed by the extraction of gravel used to amend soils for kūmara cultivation.
Horticultural intensification and plant-based diets of 18th century CE Waikato Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand has been published in the international journal Nature Communications.