Ian G Barber
Biographic Data
| ID | 208144 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ian G Barber |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ian G |
| FAMILY NAME | Barber |
| SIGNATURE | BARBER I G |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Otago |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2014-4389 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 72 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 18 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1996 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
American sweet potato and Asia-Pacific crop experimentation during early colonisation of temperate-climate Aotearoa/New Zealand
The American sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a globally important comestible crop that features prominently in Polynesian lore; however, the timing and mode of its Oceanic transplantation remain obscure. New research from the Māori cultivation site M24/11 in Aotearoa/New Zealand, presented here, offers a re-evaluation of evidence for the early use and distribution of the sweet potato in southern Polynesia. Consideration of plant microparticles …
New Radiocarbon Ages Clarify Chronology of Waimea Plains Māori Settlement and Dry Agronomy, Northern Te Waipounamu
The Difficult Place of Deserted Coasts in Archaeology: New Archaeological Research on Cooks Beach (Pukaki), Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand
Sites which have been occupied semi-continuously in the past present some inherent difficulties for archaeology. Here we present new research from a coastal site on the North Island of New Zealand at Cooks Beach where anthropogenic vegetation changes are seen using microfossil analysis of obsidian tools, sediments and pit fill. The results indicate the initial presence of people in AD 1300–1400 followed by subsequent periods of disuse or abandonm…
Voyages and Beaches: Pacific Encounters, 1769-1840
What actually happened as Europeans and peoples of the Pacific discovered each other? How have their respective senses of the past influenced their understanding of the present? And what are the consequences of their meeting? In this collection of essays, scholars from European, Polynesian, and Settler backgrounds provide answers to these questions. Writing from, and between, a variety of disciplines (history, anthropology, Maori Studies, literar…
A radiocarbon investigation of Moriori forest use on Rēkohu (Chatham Island), southwestern Polynesia
Geochemical sourcing of obsidians from thePūrākaunuisite,SouthIsland,NewZealand
We report the first well‐documented case of aSouthIsland site whereMayorIsland obsidian is not the dominant source represented. At thePūrākaunui site (I44/21), located in coastalOtago, we find that most obsidians come from theTaupoVolcanicZone, including sources nearLakeTaupo (52%) andRotorua (27.7 %). A small proportion of the collection comes fromMayorIsland (10.8%) and theCoromandelPeninsula (9.5%) obsidian. The results point to early effects …
Growing images: Generating 3D digital models to investigate archaeological Moriori carvings on live trees
Three-dimensional (3D) digital models have been used globally to investigate archaeological carvings on natural surfaces. However, the associated capital costs and technical requirements can discourage the uptake of digital modelling for primary field analysis. One solution is to employ lightweight handheld laser scanners to generate basic 3D models of selected object areas for visual examination and immediate feedback. This targeted approach is …
Molluscan mulching at the margins: Investigating the development of a S outh I sland M āori variation on P olynesian hard mulch agronomy
Hard mineral clast sediments applied to dry archaeological fields in the distant apical islands of the P olynesian triangle are frequently associated with sweet potato / kūmara ( I pomoea batatas ( L ) L am.) cultivation. In a novel variation on this practice, north‐western S outh I sland M āori deposited tuangi ( A ustrovenus stutchburyi ( W ood, 1828)) mollusc beach valves to cap 10–20 cm deep planting holes or pits by or around the sixteenth c…
Archaeological art debates and Polynesian images in place
This essay addresses debates over the study of archaeological art objects. I review and recognise value in Gell's ideas about the social agency of art, Scott's challenge to consider local significance in evaluating ancient artistic expressions, and Meskell, Gosden et al. on notions of biography or life history as applied to cultural objects. In the last regard, it is recognised that many indigenous communities continue to care for and recreate an…
Evaluating new radiocarbon dates from midden deposits near Moriori tree carvings, Rēkohu (Chatham Island)
Images indented into living kōpī (Corynocarpus laevigatus) trees by Polynesian Moriori of the Chatham Islands are a novel, indigenous Oceanic carving expression. Currently the absolute chronology of the kōpī tree carving (rākau momori) tradition is poorly resolved. In a recent Rēkohu (Chatham Island) investigation, two isolated shell midden sites were recorded and excavated in the vicinity of rākau momori clusters. A cultural landscape assessment…
Gardens of Rongo: Applying Cross-Field Anthropology to Explain Contact Violence in New Zealand
The scholarship of early-contact violence involving European voyagers and the first peoples of the Americas and Oceania is notable for divergent interpretations and debates around the methods and ethics of historical ethnography, as in the celebrated controversy over Captain James Cook's 1779 Hawaiian death. Scholars agree that this divergence is exacerbated by reliance on fragmentary or tendentious documentary sources. New research on the "first…
Bridging the Divide: Indigenous Communities and Archaeology into the 21st Century - Phillips, C. & Allen, H. (eds.)
Diffusion or innovation? Explaining lithic agronomy on the southern Polynesian margins
Distant but cognate, pre-contact southern Polynesians created extensive rocky cultivation sediments and soils. This early agronomy is evaluated as evidence of innovation or diffusion associated with South American sweet potato (kumara) introductions. For South Island Maori, soil temperatures and drainage were improved in kumara cultivation under and within transported gravel and sand deposits. On Rapa Nui/Easter Island, rocky sediment was spread …
The Archaeology of Pouerua (review)
Is the Truth Down There: Cultural Heritage Conflict and the Politics of Archaeological Authority
The selective pressures and processes of cultural heritage management effectively disinherit some interest groups. Where this occurs in the context of postcolonial or nationalist conflict, the material archaeological record may be referenced to support or reject particular views. The disciplinary assumptions behind the archaeological evidence so produced are not usually contested in judicial contexts. A review of archaeology's theoretical foundat…
Microfossils of introduced starch cultigens from an early wetland ditch in New Zealand
Pollen, phytolith and starch residue analyses of a wetland ditch at Motutangi, far northern New Zealand reveals evidence of early environment and introduced cultigens. During the period of use or infilling, local vegetation largely comprised Gleichenia-Restionaceae swamp and disturbed forest. Starch residues of Colocasia esculenta (taro), Dioscorea sp. (yam) and Ipomoea sp. (possibly I. batatas, sweet potato) are identified, here, and suggest tha…
Sea, land and fish: Spatial relationships and the archaeology of South Island Maori fishing
Customary Maori uses of the sea recognized ritual restrictions enforced by supernatural penalties and jurisdictions. In contrast, archaeological interpretations of Maori fishing behaviour emphasize extractive opportunism and, more recently, foraging theory. Archaeological fish catch data are considered from early and later period middens of Te Tau Ihu (northern South Island) to evaluate these seemingly contrastive views. The archaeological sequen…
Loss, Change, and Monumental Landscaping: Towards a New Interpretation of the 'Classic' Maaori Emergence
Loss, Change, and Monumental Landscaping: Towards a New Interpretation of the 'Classic' Maaori Emergence
Geochemical sourcing of obsidians from thePūrākaunuisite,SouthIsland,NewZealand
We report the first well‐documented case of aSouthIsland site whereMayorIsland obsidian is not the dominant source represented. At thePūrākaunui site (I44/21), located in coastalOtago, we find that most obsidians come from theTaupoVolcanicZone, including sources nearLakeTaupo (52%) andRotorua (27.7 %). A small proportion of the collection comes fromMayorIsland (10.8%) and theCoromandelPeninsula (9.5%) obsidian. The results point to early effects …
Growing images: Generating 3D digital models to investigate archaeological Moriori carvings on live trees
Three-dimensional (3D) digital models have been used globally to investigate archaeological carvings on natural surfaces. However, the associated capital costs and technical requirements can discourage the uptake of digital modelling for primary field analysis. One solution is to employ lightweight handheld laser scanners to generate basic 3D models of selected object areas for visual examination and immediate feedback. This targeted approach is …
Microfossils of introduced starch cultigens from an early wetland ditch in New Zealand
Pollen, phytolith and starch residue analyses of a wetland ditch at Motutangi, far northern New Zealand reveals evidence of early environment and introduced cultigens. During the period of use or infilling, local vegetation largely comprised Gleichenia-Restionaceae swamp and disturbed forest. Starch residues of Colocasia esculenta (taro), Dioscorea sp. (yam) and Ipomoea sp. (possibly I. batatas, sweet potato) are identified, here, and suggest tha…
Sea, land and fish: Spatial relationships and the archaeology of South Island Maori fishing
Customary Maori uses of the sea recognized ritual restrictions enforced by supernatural penalties and jurisdictions. In contrast, archaeological interpretations of Maori fishing behaviour emphasize extractive opportunism and, more recently, foraging theory. Archaeological fish catch data are considered from early and later period middens of Te Tau Ihu (northern South Island) to evaluate these seemingly contrastive views. The archaeological sequen…
Molluscan mulching at the margins: Investigating the development of a S outh I sland M āori variation on P olynesian hard mulch agronomy
Hard mineral clast sediments applied to dry archaeological fields in the distant apical islands of the P olynesian triangle are frequently associated with sweet potato / kūmara ( I pomoea batatas ( L ) L am.) cultivation. In a novel variation on this practice, north‐western S outh I sland M āori deposited tuangi ( A ustrovenus stutchburyi ( W ood, 1828)) mollusc beach valves to cap 10–20 cm deep planting holes or pits by or around the sixteenth c…
Evaluating new radiocarbon dates from midden deposits near Moriori tree carvings, Rēkohu (Chatham Island)
Images indented into living kōpī (Corynocarpus laevigatus) trees by Polynesian Moriori of the Chatham Islands are a novel, indigenous Oceanic carving expression. Currently the absolute chronology of the kōpī tree carving (rākau momori) tradition is poorly resolved. In a recent Rēkohu (Chatham Island) investigation, two isolated shell midden sites were recorded and excavated in the vicinity of rākau momori clusters. A cultural landscape assessment…
Gardens of Rongo: Applying Cross-Field Anthropology to Explain Contact Violence in New Zealand
The scholarship of early-contact violence involving European voyagers and the first peoples of the Americas and Oceania is notable for divergent interpretations and debates around the methods and ethics of historical ethnography, as in the celebrated controversy over Captain James Cook's 1779 Hawaiian death. Scholars agree that this divergence is exacerbated by reliance on fragmentary or tendentious documentary sources. New research on the "first…
The Difficult Place of Deserted Coasts in Archaeology: New Archaeological Research on Cooks Beach (Pukaki), Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand
Sites which have been occupied semi-continuously in the past present some inherent difficulties for archaeology. Here we present new research from a coastal site on the North Island of New Zealand at Cooks Beach where anthropogenic vegetation changes are seen using microfossil analysis of obsidian tools, sediments and pit fill. The results indicate the initial presence of people in AD 1300–1400 followed by subsequent periods of disuse or abandonm…
Voyages and Beaches: Pacific Encounters, 1769-1840
What actually happened as Europeans and peoples of the Pacific discovered each other? How have their respective senses of the past influenced their understanding of the present? And what are the consequences of their meeting? In this collection of essays, scholars from European, Polynesian, and Settler backgrounds provide answers to these questions. Writing from, and between, a variety of disciplines (history, anthropology, Maori Studies, literar…
Is the Truth Down There: Cultural Heritage Conflict and the Politics of Archaeological Authority
The selective pressures and processes of cultural heritage management effectively disinherit some interest groups. Where this occurs in the context of postcolonial or nationalist conflict, the material archaeological record may be referenced to support or reject particular views. The disciplinary assumptions behind the archaeological evidence so produced are not usually contested in judicial contexts. A review of archaeology's theoretical foundat…
Loss, Change, and Monumental Landscaping: Towards a New Interpretation of the 'Classic' Maaori Emergence
Sea, land and fish: Spatial relationships and the archaeology of South Island Maori fishing
Customary Maori uses of the sea recognized ritual restrictions enforced by supernatural penalties and jurisdictions. In contrast, archaeological interpretations of Maori fishing behaviour emphasize extractive opportunism and, more recently, foraging theory. Archaeological fish catch data are considered from early and later period middens of Te Tau Ihu (northern South Island) to evaluate these seemingly contrastive views. The archaeological sequen…
Microfossils of introduced starch cultigens from an early wetland ditch in New Zealand
Pollen, phytolith and starch residue analyses of a wetland ditch at Motutangi, far northern New Zealand reveals evidence of early environment and introduced cultigens. During the period of use or infilling, local vegetation largely comprised Gleichenia-Restionaceae swamp and disturbed forest. Starch residues of Colocasia esculenta (taro), Dioscorea sp. (yam) and Ipomoea sp. (possibly I. batatas, sweet potato) are identified, here, and suggest tha…
Is the Truth Down There: Cultural Heritage Conflict and the Politics of Archaeological Authority
The selective pressures and processes of cultural heritage management effectively disinherit some interest groups. Where this occurs in the context of postcolonial or nationalist conflict, the material archaeological record may be referenced to support or reject particular views. The disciplinary assumptions behind the archaeological evidence so produced are not usually contested in judicial contexts. A review of archaeology's theoretical foundat…
The Archaeology of Pouerua (review)
Diffusion or innovation? Explaining lithic agronomy on the southern Polynesian margins
Distant but cognate, pre-contact southern Polynesians created extensive rocky cultivation sediments and soils. This early agronomy is evaluated as evidence of innovation or diffusion associated with South American sweet potato (kumara) introductions. For South Island Maori, soil temperatures and drainage were improved in kumara cultivation under and within transported gravel and sand deposits. On Rapa Nui/Easter Island, rocky sediment was spread …
Bridging the Divide: Indigenous Communities and Archaeology into the 21st Century - Phillips, C. & Allen, H. (eds.)
Archaeological art debates and Polynesian images in place
This essay addresses debates over the study of archaeological art objects. I review and recognise value in Gell's ideas about the social agency of art, Scott's challenge to consider local significance in evaluating ancient artistic expressions, and Meskell, Gosden et al. on notions of biography or life history as applied to cultural objects. In the last regard, it is recognised that many indigenous communities continue to care for and recreate an…
Evaluating new radiocarbon dates from midden deposits near Moriori tree carvings, Rēkohu (Chatham Island)
Images indented into living kōpī (Corynocarpus laevigatus) trees by Polynesian Moriori of the Chatham Islands are a novel, indigenous Oceanic carving expression. Currently the absolute chronology of the kōpī tree carving (rākau momori) tradition is poorly resolved. In a recent Rēkohu (Chatham Island) investigation, two isolated shell midden sites were recorded and excavated in the vicinity of rākau momori clusters. A cultural landscape assessment…
Gardens of Rongo: Applying Cross-Field Anthropology to Explain Contact Violence in New Zealand
The scholarship of early-contact violence involving European voyagers and the first peoples of the Americas and Oceania is notable for divergent interpretations and debates around the methods and ethics of historical ethnography, as in the celebrated controversy over Captain James Cook's 1779 Hawaiian death. Scholars agree that this divergence is exacerbated by reliance on fragmentary or tendentious documentary sources. New research on the "first…
Molluscan mulching at the margins: Investigating the development of a S outh I sland M āori variation on P olynesian hard mulch agronomy
Hard mineral clast sediments applied to dry archaeological fields in the distant apical islands of the P olynesian triangle are frequently associated with sweet potato / kūmara ( I pomoea batatas ( L ) L am.) cultivation. In a novel variation on this practice, north‐western S outh I sland M āori deposited tuangi ( A ustrovenus stutchburyi ( W ood, 1828)) mollusc beach valves to cap 10–20 cm deep planting holes or pits by or around the sixteenth c…
Geochemical sourcing of obsidians from thePūrākaunuisite,SouthIsland,NewZealand
We report the first well‐documented case of aSouthIsland site whereMayorIsland obsidian is not the dominant source represented. At thePūrākaunui site (I44/21), located in coastalOtago, we find that most obsidians come from theTaupoVolcanicZone, including sources nearLakeTaupo (52%) andRotorua (27.7 %). A small proportion of the collection comes fromMayorIsland (10.8%) and theCoromandelPeninsula (9.5%) obsidian. The results point to early effects …
Growing images: Generating 3D digital models to investigate archaeological Moriori carvings on live trees
Three-dimensional (3D) digital models have been used globally to investigate archaeological carvings on natural surfaces. However, the associated capital costs and technical requirements can discourage the uptake of digital modelling for primary field analysis. One solution is to employ lightweight handheld laser scanners to generate basic 3D models of selected object areas for visual examination and immediate feedback. This targeted approach is …
A radiocarbon investigation of Moriori forest use on Rēkohu (Chatham Island), southwestern Polynesia
New Radiocarbon Ages Clarify Chronology of Waimea Plains Māori Settlement and Dry Agronomy, Northern Te Waipounamu
The Difficult Place of Deserted Coasts in Archaeology: New Archaeological Research on Cooks Beach (Pukaki), Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand
Sites which have been occupied semi-continuously in the past present some inherent difficulties for archaeology. Here we present new research from a coastal site on the North Island of New Zealand at Cooks Beach where anthropogenic vegetation changes are seen using microfossil analysis of obsidian tools, sediments and pit fill. The results indicate the initial presence of people in AD 1300–1400 followed by subsequent periods of disuse or abandonm…
Voyages and Beaches: Pacific Encounters, 1769-1840
What actually happened as Europeans and peoples of the Pacific discovered each other? How have their respective senses of the past influenced their understanding of the present? And what are the consequences of their meeting? In this collection of essays, scholars from European, Polynesian, and Settler backgrounds provide answers to these questions. Writing from, and between, a variety of disciplines (history, anthropology, Maori Studies, literar…
American sweet potato and Asia-Pacific crop experimentation during early colonisation of temperate-climate Aotearoa/New Zealand
The American sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a globally important comestible crop that features prominently in Polynesian lore; however, the timing and mode of its Oceanic transplantation remain obscure. New research from the Māori cultivation site M24/11 in Aotearoa/New Zealand, presented here, offers a re-evaluation of evidence for the early use and distribution of the sweet potato in southern Polynesia. Consideration of plant microparticles …
Archaeology (14 works) · Geography (13 works) · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies (12 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (10 works) · History (9 works) · Ecology (7 works) · Biology (6 works) · Sociology (6 works) · Geology (5 works) · Anthropology (4 works)