Rediscovering our archaeological collections

Working in the field is perhaps the most well-publicised aspect of being an archaeologist. We are all familiar with the images of the intrepid explorer: all kitted out in a fedora and cargo shorts, trowel in hand, and (on a particularly intrepid day) coated head-to-toe in dust. Less familiar, but still recognisable, is an image of the analysis undertaken after the excavation: brushes and magnifying glasses, ancient artefacts scattered across a wooden workbench. Today, however, we will briefly explore the role of a different kind of archaeologist. I will touch on the highlights of the last few months I have spent working at Tāmaki Paenga Hira, Auckland Museum, discuss a few of the more unique aspects of the work, and how archaeology ties into the museum sphere in Aotearoa New Zealand.

In February 2018 I joined the Collection Readiness project in the role of Collection Technician Archaeology Māori Material. The team that I work in consists of several technicians who are cataloguing the Human History and Archaeology collections in preparation to be moved to new locations within museum storage and the records uploaded to collections online.  My role deals specifically with material from archaeological sites across New Zealand, spanning the entirety of human occupation. The assemblages largely consist of stone flake and tools, food waste such as bones and shells, and occasional bone, stone, or shell artefacts such as fish hooks (matau), bone awls, bird spear points (tara), and adzes (toki). As the Archaeology Collection, like so many others, was acquired by Tāmaki Paenga Hira over a long period of time, the state of object records vary vastly across the different sites. Some records have minimal detail, or are incomplete, and some objects do not have records at all. These are some of the problems that the Collection Readiness project was designed to rectifiy.

Perhaps my favourite task that has cropped up in this job so far has made good use of my archaeological knowledge. In a collection from Ponui Island, hidden amongst an abundance of little bags of obsidian flakes, are a few sneaky little intruders.  Fragments of green bottle glass from the historic layer on this site have found their way into the bags of obsidian. For a trained archaeologist the difference is immediately obvious. Flaked obsidian or even glass have several tell-tale features that set them apart from fragments of smashed glass. Each of these intruding fragments are identified, separated and catalogued under a different record. This is done so that when each record is made available online it is in its most accurate state – no record sneakily contains an item that doesn’t quite fit.

From Ponui Island again comes our last little peek into the museum’s New Zealand archaeological collection. One of the more uniquely interesting objects I have discovered so far is, surprisingly, a single bone. More accurately a tympanic bulla, or whale ear bone. A remarkably solid, heavy, and oddly shaped object, it was not immediately obvious within the box full of stone flakes and piles of fish bones. Nonetheless, as a rare and highly valuable resource often used for creating tools like fish hooks, this was a fascinating object to find hidden amongst an otherwise reasonably homogenous collection of stone flakes, small bones, and little fragments of green bottle glass.

Working as an archaeologist in a museum has led to many of the same feelings, highlights, and frustrations as any other aspect of archaeology. The thrill of discovery when you find something you had no idea was there; the curiosity that leads you to research more and learn things you didn’t know before; the confusion of untangling the decisions and methodologies of people who came before you - and every so often, you’ll experience a renewed burst of awe for the sheer size and scope of the long and tangled histories that lie just below our feet.