When moa bones were found 3m deep in the earth during a road construction project, it was heralded as a discovery of great significance.
The bones were welcomed to Palmerston North with a karakia and a waiata. Photo: RNZ/ Dom Thomas
At a pre-dawn ceremony today, those bones were uplifted from that site, and moved to Te Manawa, the Palmerston North museum.
They were carried inside wrapped up in boxes, then laid out on the floor - with iwi members, kaitiaki representatives, and Waka Kotahi Transport Agency staff sitting nearby - the bones were welcomed with a karakia and waiata.
When the ceremony was finished, the bones were then carried out, to the rear of the museum, into a storage room.
Many of the bones were too fragile and sensitive to be moved out of their boxes and remained wrapped up but three bones - two ends of a tibia and a femur - were laid out.
The two ends of a tibia and a femur that were revealed. Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas
Terry Hapi is the Pou Tiaki taiao, co-ordinating the kaitiaki to the various sites requiring monitoring across the region, and was called to the find shortly after the bones were first discovered on 9 March.
"The area they were found in [was] in a gully and the depth at which they were discovered was about three to four metres below an existing pond.
"Based on that and the material that they were found in we knew this was like virgin ground ... and it was quite ancient in its form and what it looked like."
Hapi, who is also deputy chair of the Rangitāne o Manawatū Settlement Trust, said finds such as these were of huge importance.
"Knowing that moa were last walking this earth round about 600 years ago, [and from] way before our people even came to Aotearoa, it's a very sacred and significant find for us."
Archaeologist Patrick Harsveldt was also called on to the site on that day to confirm the discovery.
"The bones were not found articulated, meaning the lower leg bone wasn't immediately connected to the upper leg bone and vice versa, so we were dealing with a scatter over several square metres and floor area.
"So that meant that something had redeposited them before the accumulation of soil overtime. So perhaps a scavenger?"
Waka Kotahi owner interface manager Lonnie Dalzell oversees the project and said while finds were not unusual, moa bones in this area were.
"It's the first time that moa bones have been discovered in the area, so their significance is quite high.
"Generally, our large earthworks projects do find things, and we have a process usually in place to be able to ensure they're protected and follow tikanga."
While much of what can be learned from the moa bones is still to come, there were some early deductions archaeologist Harsveldt made.
"My role as the archaeologist was to check for evidence of human activity in association with them.
"We did not find any evidence of butchery marks on the exposed bones as we were finding them ... and so we've determined that it is, in fact, a natural deposit."
Now the bones are in the labs, there will be pollen analysis samples taken and radio carbon dating to glean further information.