From left: Dr Monica Tromp and Dr Amber Aranui having a look through archaeological animal bones to try and find marine mammal bone. Photo: Supplied
Archaeological artefacts are revealing more about the history of human connection to whales and dolphins in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Despite their presence in whakapapa, and purakau (oral traditions), very little is on record showing early Māori interactions with cetaceans.
In a project backed by an $870,000 Marsden Grant, researchers will harness science to retrace the intertwining path of whales and dolphins with our ancestors.
Kathryn speaks with Dr Amber Aranui, a curator of Matauranga Māori at Te Papa and Monica Tromp, manager of Southern Pacific Archaeological Research's laboratory at the University of Otago.
