Te Rua o Mahara | The pits of memories Weaving knowledge to understand the past

Abstract

Kaitorete is a low-lying spit/barrier complex situated south of Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū (Banks Peninsula). Kaitorete is an Ara Tawhito (ancient trail) and cultural landscape of immense importance, with hundreds of archaeological sites and evidence of pā (settlement, community) and kāinga mahinga kai (food gathering settlement). The eviction of Mana Whenua from Kaitorete in the mid-1800s resulted in disconnection from the whenua (land), impacting the way of living, traditional knowledge, health, economic opportunities, and sovereignty. With the purchase of 1000 ha of land at Kaitorete in 2021, Mana Whenua Te Taumutu Rūnanga and Wairewa Rūnanga, and the Crown established the Tāwhaki Joint Venture, the first and only indigenous-led aerospace company in the world. The aim of Tāwhaki is to heal Kaitorete whenua, advance mātauranga, enrich connections, and bring whānau home. Our research focused on a kāinga mahinga kai, Te Waiotemapua. This ephemeral wetland environment hosts an extensive network of rua (pits) on a lakeside ridge. Investigations centred on the network of rua, with the aim of revealing the stories of people in this landscape held by the soil. This involved looking at the landscape through a mātauranga lens of oral histories, pūrākau (stories), manuscripts, maps, and mahinga kai practices, and using this lens to guide the use of western science tools. We applied soil science methods to look within the soil at the profile and plant microfossils, to enhance knowledge of food gathering, storage, and habitation at this kāinga mahinga kai. Our findings include identifying rua of different sizes and shapes positioned at varying heights on the ridge, signalling a range of uses, and the presence of starch grains in smaller rua, indicating kūmara storage. This transdisciplinary project weaves together mātauranga Māori and soil science, to draw on the past to provide a foundation for future opportunities and growth.