Maori Wooden Comb Teeth Discovered in New Zealand

HUNTLY, NEW ZEALAND—Stuff.co.nz reports that teeth from a Maori ceremonial wooden comb were uncovered on the North Island during road construction. The comb, or heru, was discovered in a midden disturbed by previous construction projects, and is thought to date to the pre-European era. “The heru teeth are a rare find as virtually all wooden artifacts decay over a relatively short time,” said archaeologist Warren Gumbley. “In this case we were fortunate because the high resin content in the Rimu wood meant the heru had not decayed.” A sample of the wood will be radiocarbon dated to establish a more accurate date for the artifact. To read about the discovery of another Maori site, go to “World Roundup: New Zealand.”