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... diameter) was recovered from the upper soil layer (about 10 cm. deep). The test pit is located about 25 m. northwest of the south east corner of TEAUTARA 3 and is found about 1m inside the fence of Noema's faapu, an area which he maintains has not been disturbed by ploughing. Returning from this work I stopped to search again Parcelle *215 MATAUMOA where a great many artifacts and human bones have been recovered, here I had no problem finding skull fragments as well as some leg or arm bones which showed evidence of being cut. Thinking bone samples may be of some comparative value, I recovered also a skull fragment from Parcelle 222 TAPUNAEHE as well as adze fragments and branch coral file. These objects deserve a fuller description elsewhere, time permitting I shall illustrate the file which is unusually pointed and the complete but unground adze which is well patinated and thoroughly pecked. This could be a base flattened oval plano-convex adze or with a well pointed poll simply a hand held piercing implement? I then returned to the task of reassembling the skull of which the left side (front) is now fairly complete while the right side is missing too many fragments to ever be correctly reassembled, even after another rummage through the excavated material for the missing bones. Little more can be done with this skeletal material beyond a thorough inventory as well as dimensions and cross sections of the larger bones. Friday, 30th of March. 1990. Two days of intensive restoration work with the skeletal remains from Burial 1, has exhausted most of the remaining significant fragments. A complete inventory reveals a good many bones missing, probably due to total disintegration. Fortunately, enough of the sacrum was found to reassemble the pelvis, and measurements possible. Also I note the statement by P. Houghton (page 105) in New Zealand material (Polynesian) a femoral head diameter of 44mm marks the boundary between most males and most females, the femoral head diameter from Burial 1 is 47mm thus quite confirming the male status of these remains. If the bones from Burial 1 are so large as to predetermine masculinity then those at burial 2 must be their opposite, these bones are minature by comparison. A femur which appears fully fused measures about 36cm in length, this yields a body height of about 130cm. The teeth appear to be from the upper jaw only and with a full complement of three molars. If this a fully grown adolescent, there can be little doubt that remains are female. I have only just started to sort out these remains however the difference in the two burials is rather remarkable. The remains from Burial 2 are considerably more fragile with fewer intact bones. The ... |
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