220
The Context of Field Archaeology
Fig. 13.1 These two posts
suggest the unscaleable
height of the palisade to
which they belonged
One thinks immediately not only of the figures on top of Maori pa palisades, but
also of the famous battle haka of Maori. Its purpose to frighten the enemy, the haka,
was performed by warriors with protruding tongues, battle cries and battle postures.
Best gives other examples of huge pa. For example, he quotes Canon Stack as
saying that at Mairangi and Kapuka-riki the remains of a walled pa extended for
about 3 miles along the downs, quotes another writer as saying that the Maungakiekie pa on One Tree Hill covered 100 acres and could accommodate thousands
and refers to another source as saying that Otatara near Taranaki extended over 80
acres.
Best mentions also a pa seen by Wakefield in 1839 with outer stockades at least a
mile in circumference, three forts at Tapa-hurau said to have held 1,000 each, a fort
at Mangere with 3,000 inhabitants and a fort on the banks of the Waipaoa River at
Poverty Bay whose only fault was the amazing extent of ground it covered because
it would require from 2,000 to 3,000 men to protect it. Indeed, Best describes more
than 16 pa able to hold a thousand or thousands (pp. 26–38).
The very existence of pa of such great size and in such numbers, we believe, is
indicative of the conflict over land and resources that erupted with the extreme cold
The Context of Field Archaeology
Fig. 13.1 These two posts
suggest the unscaleable
height of the palisade to
which they belonged
One thinks immediately not only of the figures on top of Maori pa palisades, but
also of the famous battle haka of Maori. Its purpose to frighten the enemy, the haka,
was performed by warriors with protruding tongues, battle cries and battle postures.
Best gives other examples of huge pa. For example, he quotes Canon Stack as
saying that at Mairangi and Kapuka-riki the remains of a walled pa extended for
about 3 miles along the downs, quotes another writer as saying that the Maungakiekie pa on One Tree Hill covered 100 acres and could accommodate thousands
and refers to another source as saying that Otatara near Taranaki extended over 80
acres.
Best mentions also a pa seen by Wakefield in 1839 with outer stockades at least a
mile in circumference, three forts at Tapa-hurau said to have held 1,000 each, a fort
at Mangere with 3,000 inhabitants and a fort on the banks of the Waipaoa River at
Poverty Bay whose only fault was the amazing extent of ground it covered because
it would require from 2,000 to 3,000 men to protect it. Indeed, Best describes more
than 16 pa able to hold a thousand or thousands (pp. 26–38).
The very existence of pa of such great size and in such numbers, we believe, is
indicative of the conflict over land and resources that erupted with the extreme cold