Preliminary Exploration of the Cultural and Ecological History of Seabird Colonies Along the North-Eastern Otago Coast
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Preliminary exploration of the cultural and ecological history of seabird colonies along the north-eastern Otago coast Preliminary exploration of the cultural and ecological history of seabird colonies along the north-eastern Otago coast Gretchen Brownstein, Catriona J. MacLeod, Priscilla Wehi Landcare Research Prepared for: Landscape Connections Trust Attn: Rhys Millar Dunedin New Zealand June 2017 Landcare Research, 764 Cumberland Street, Private Bag 1930, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand, Ph +64 3 470 7200, Fax +64 3 470 7201, www.landcareresearch.co.nz Reviewed by: Approved for release by: Gerard Fitzgerald Gary Houliston Scientist Portfolio Leader – Enhancing Biodiversity Fitzgerald Applied Sociology Landcare Research Landcare Research Contract Report: LC2808 Disclaimer This report has been prepared by Landcare Research for Rhys Millar (Landscape Connections Trust). If used by other parties, no warranty or representation is given as to its accuracy and no liability is accepted for loss or damage arising directly or indirectly from reliance on the information in it. Tēnei te mihi ki te hau kāinga, ki a Kāti Huirapa, ngā kaitiaki i te whenua, ngā kaipupuri o te mana. He mihi kau ake ki a koutou, nā koutou i tahu te ahikā ki tēnei takiwā, i nga wā o nehe, ā, e kā tonu nei tae noa ki tēnei rangi. Heoi, ko te tūmanako kei roto i tēnei kete he kupu mā koutou hei kīnaki atu ki te mātauranga ā-iwi nei e mātau kē ana koutou mō ā koutou manu inu tai. Contents Summary .....................................................................................................................................v 1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................1 2 Methods ............................................................................................................................4 2.1 Archaeozoological records (1250–1800).............................................................................4 2.2 Evidence and historical records: Ngāi Tahu Waitangi claim (1790–1990)..........................5 2.3 Historical records: Local newspaper articles (1861–1930) .................................................5 2.4 Contemporary records: Local ornithological club newsletters (1964–2015)......................6 2.5 Contemporary records: Ngāi Tahu newsletters (Te Pānui Rūnaka, 2008–2015) ................7 2.6 Contemporary records: Seabird colony records (1967–2016)............................................7 3 Results ...............................................................................................................................8 3.1 Cultural significance of seabirds to local iwi .......................................................................8 3.2 Early colonial interests in seabirds ....................................................................................14 3.3 Contemporary ornithological interests .............................................................................22 3.4 Contemporary seabird colony records..............................................................................23 4 Discussion ........................................................................................................................27 4.1 Cultural significance of seabirds to local iwi .....................................................................27 4.2 Early colonial interests in seabirds ....................................................................................28 4.3 Contemporary interests of local ornithologists ................................................................28 4.4 Contemporary seabird colony records..............................................................................29 5 Recommendations...........................................................................................................29 6 Acknowledgements .........................................................................................................30 7 References.......................................................................................................................30 Appendix 1: Midden records ....................................................................................................32 Appendix 2: Summary of Search Results for 1861–1930 newspaper articles..........................34 Appendix 3: Colony locations and number of breeding pairs ..................................................35 Appendix 4: Seabird species list................................................................................................38 Appendix 5: Glossary of Māori terms .......................................................................................39 Landcare Research Page iii Summary Project This report supports the development of the Return of the Tītī seabird habitat restoration initiative on the north-eastern Otago coastline. Return of the Tītī is part of a larger-scale community-led restoration project, Beyond Orokonui, which has developed in partnership with Kāti Huirapa, a hapū of Ngāi Tahu, who have traditional authority over the north- eastern Otago coast. Our research aims to help build a picture of the cultural and ecological history of seabird colonies along this part of the Otago coast since the arrival of Māori. This information will be used to support community engagement in the development and implementation of the Return of the Tītī initiative. Methods The study area was the Otago coastal landscape from Waikouaiti River mouth (170°39'40.39", –45°38' 20.58") in the north to Aramoana (170°43'2.79", –45°47'12.52") in the south. We first identified nine focal species that are known, or thought, to breed in the area (sooty shearwater, little penguin, yellow-eyed penguin, spotted shag, Stewart Island shag, black shag, southern black-backed gull, red-billed gull and white-fronted tern). We then conducted literature searches using variants of their scientific, Māori and English names, seeking data that might inform our understanding of ecological and cultural history in relation to seabirds within the study area. The review covered (a) archaeozoological records (1250–1800); (b) traditional evidence collated by Ngāi Tahu for the Treaty of Waitangi Claim (Wai 27) on the cultural significance of seabirds (1790–1990); (c) historical local newspaper articles documenting early colonial interests in seabirds (1861–1930); (d) contemporary newsletters published by the Otago Ornithological Society (1963–2015) and by Ngāi Tahu (2008–2015); and (e) contemporary records of local seabird colony locations and status (1967–2016). These sources were supplemented by information provided through discussions with the local community representatives. Results Cultural significance of seabirds to local iwi Seabirds such as shags and sooty shearwaters appear frequently in Māori oral tradition, including waiata (song) and whakataukī (ancestral sayings) (e.g. Grove & Mead 2001). Six of the nine focal seabird species are listed as taonga (or treasured) species by the South Island iwi Ngāi Tahu: sooty shearwater (tītī) little penguin (kororā) Landcare Research Page v Preliminary exploration of the cultural and ecological history of seabird colonies along the north-eastern Otago coast yellow-eyed penguin (kororā) black shag (kōau) southern black-backed gull (karoro) white-fronted tern (tara). Archaeological finds from eight midden sites in or near the study area show that spotted shag (kōau), little penguin and yellow-eyed penguin (hoiho) bones occur in the majority of these sites. Sooty shearwater, white-fronted tern, southern black-backed gull and red-billed gull (tarāpuka1/tarāpunga/akiaki) bones were seldom identified. Nonetheless, the latter four species were among the most frequently mentioned species in the Ngāi Tahu Treaty Claim papers, where they are described as important kai or food resources. Ngāi Tahu Claim papers state that eggs and adult birds were collected and often cooked as part of whānau-wide annual expedition or events. Tītī harvesting continues to be a central and vibrant part of southern Ngāi Tahu activity and identity, and tītī is the most frequently mentioned bird species – marine or otherwise – in contemporary Ngāi Tahu newsletters. ‘Tītī’ is also one of the few Māori bird names used by early European settlers, as well as more recent local ornithological newsletters and Ngāi Tahu newsletters, likely reflecting the strong cultural significance of this species to southern Māori. Early colonial interests in seabirds In our search of local newspaper articles from 1861 to 1930, penguins and shearwaters were the most frequently mentioned groups in the subset of relevant articles that specifically discussed the seabirds of interest. The next most frequently mentioned were shags, gulls and terns (Table 2). Interest in the seabirds varied. Some articles focused on the natural history of the birds (e.g. the movement and behaviour of vast flocks of shearwaters; the grace and beauty of the terns), others on resource use (e.g. harvesting penguins for sport, skin and oil) or human interactions with the birds, either attempting to make them pets (e.g. penguins and gulls) or identifying them as pests (e.g. gulls and shags). Contemporary interests of local ornithologists Penguins (in particular yellow-eyed ones) were the most frequently mentioned of the focal seabird groups through the 1990s and 2000s in ornithological newsletters, whereas gulls were the most frequently mentioned group before and after