New insights into the health and lives of New Zealand's first people

Initial findings from a University of Otago-led analysis of the koiwi tangata (human remains) of some of the earliest Polynesians to settle New Zealand are shedding new light on their health - including the first evidence of gout among ancient Maori.

The Rangitane iwi tupuna (ancestors), who lived on the Wairau Bar in Marlborough more than 700 years ago, are being repatriated to the Bar for reburial this month following an agreement between the Rangitane and the Canterbury Museum for their return.

Under the agreement, an archaeological team led by the University excavated the site to find a suitable area for reburial, and a multidisciplinary team of scientists are studying the tupuna. Canterbury Museum is a major funder of the tupuna research through a Mason Foundation grant.

The co-ordinator of the biological research on the koiwi tangata, Dr Hallie Buckley, says that preliminary analyses of their bones indicate that the settlers led vigorous lifestyles in a new, challenging environment.

"These were very muscular and strong Polynesian people who were generally healthy, but their demanding lifestyle took a toll on their health," says Dr Buckley, who is a Senior Lecturer in the University's Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology.

A high number of the 41 tupuna studied had died in young adulthood. This suggests that the rigours of the environment left young people vulnerable to accidental death or health stresses during childhood that caused them to die earlier, she says.

"So far, we have found evidence of a range of health issues which are common among prehistoric peoples. These include dental problems, growing up in difficult conditions leaving its marks on bones and teeth development, and osteoarthritis afflicting some individuals by middle age.

"This severe joint degeneration would have been debilitating and likely resulted from the physically demanding nature of a seafaring lifestyle. A number of individuals also had gouty-type lesions in their feet."

Dr Buckley says that this is the first evidence of gout reported in ancient Maori, supporting the idea that modern Polynesians have a genetic predisposition to hyperuricaemia, which can lead to gout. Further investigations, in collaboration with the University's Department of Biochemistry, will be carried out to look for traces of uric acid in the bones.

There was also possible evidence of infectious diseases in the population, but diagnosis of these will need to be confirmed by ancient DNA (aDNA) analyses.

The tupuna's dental problems likely result from tooth enamel being worn away by a diet heavy in fibrous plant foods and gritty shellfish. This would leave them vulnerable to dental infections and tooth loss, she says.

Tell-tale signs of childhood stresses common in prehistory, such as infections and nutritional deficiencies, are apparent in a number of the tupuna's bones and teeth. X-rays revealed the presence of certain lines in shin bones known as Harris lines, while developmental defects of the enamel and evidence of anemia in the crania were found in some individuals.

Dr Buckley says that despite these childhood health challenges, the adult height of the tupuna seemed to be unaffected, with the skeletons of males being among the tallest found in prehistoric Polynesian populations.

"This finding supports the fact that the Wairau Bar people were generally healthy.