Nelson Historical Society Journal, Volume 3, Issue 5, October 1979
Lithic Studies
Lithic Studies
In 1971 Millar looked forward to the time when lithic (i.e. stone) sourcing studies would provide answers for archaeologists. Recent work by Ward (1973), B. F. Leach (1977), Ritchie (1975), and Walls suggests that the accurate sourcing of archaeological lithic material is possible – in some cases it can already be done (e.g. obsidian) and in other cases it will be developed in the future. The Nelson Mineral Belt has received attention for a long time from people interested in the part that the metamorphosed argillite played in the lives of the prehistoric Maori. It was traded widely in both the North and South Islands. The formalised sourcing of this argillite to particular locations has not been undertaken, however, a lot of other research has been done on the quarries.
Skinner (1913) published an early note concerning the Rushpool quarry in the Maitai Valley, which he first saw as a boy at school in Nelson in 1902. His conclusion that the pool had been formed by a causeway or dam was contradicted by Knapp. Writing to the New Zealand Institute on April 16, 1928, Knapp stated; "Our investigations prove it to be rather a natural deposition, fairly uniform in depth and filled with peat." Roger Duff (1946) was also interested in the argillite quarries. He was the forerunner of Walls (1974) and Keyes (1975) who have done so much to document the distribution of the quarry sites and their importance in New Zealand prehistory.