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First Footsteps in a New World City: The Dunedin Causeway and Early Settlers’ Adaptation to Their New Home

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Abstract

The Dunedin Causeway was a timber corduroy path found in central Dunedin, New Zealand, during an archaeological investigation ahead of a mall development in 2008. The path was probably built by the first Scottish settlers to arrive in 1848, using timber cleared from the neighboring hills. Analysis of the timbers indicates that they were almost all waste species and, therefore, ideal for use in a temporary path. Using a landscape-learning framework, this article suggests that the first settlers very quickly learned about certain aspects of their new home, and this knowledge was probably acquired from publications and assistance from the few existing residents, both European and Maori (the indigenous inhabitants of New Zealand). The causeway represents the early settlers’ physical efforts, their growing awareness of the landscape, the establishment of the city as an agent of colonization, and the acquisition of knowledge from local Maori, who were, perversely, being displaced by the same processes.

Extracto

La Calzada Dunedin era un camino de troncos de madera que se encontró en el centro de Dunedin (Nueva Zelanda), durante una investigación arqueológica precursora de la construcción de un centro comercial, en 2008. El camino fue construido probablemente por los primeros colonos escoceses en llegar en 1848, utilizando madera retirada de las colinas cercanas. El análisis de la madera indica que casi toda era de especies residuales y, por consiguiente, ideales para su uso en un camino temporal. Utilizando un marco de aprendizaje del paisaje, el presente artículo sugiere que los primeros colonos aprendieron muy rápidamente sobre determinados aspectos de su nuevo hogar, y este conocimiento fue adquirido probablemente mediante publicaciones, y la asistencia de los pocos residentes existentes, tanto europeos como maoríes (los habitantes indígenas de Nueva Zelanda). La calzada representa los esfuerzos físicos de los primeros colonos, su creciente conciencia del paisaje, el establecimiento de la ciudad como un agente de colonización, y la adquisición de conocimiento de los maoríes locales, quienes fueron, perversamente, desplazados por los mismos procesos.

Résumé

La Dunedin Causeway était un chemin de rondins découvert dans le centre de Dunedin, en Nouvelle-Zélande, lors de recherches archéologiques avant le développement d’un centre commercial en 2008. Le chemin a probablement été construit par les premiers colons écossais arrivés en 1848 à l’aide de bois dégagé des collines voisines. L’analyse des bois indique qu’ils étaient presque tous des espèces inutilisés et, par conséquent, convenaient parfaitement pour être utilisés dans un chemin temporaire. À l’aide d’un cadre d’apprentissage de paysages, cet article donne à penser que les premiers colons ont très vite appris certains aspects de leur nouveau pays, et que cette connaissance a été acquise sans doute dans des publications et grâce à l’aide apportée par quelques résidents existants, européens et Maori (les habitants autochtones de Nouvelle-Zélande). Ce chemin représente les efforts physiques des premiers colons, leur prise de conscience croissante du paysage, l’établissement de la ville comme agent de la colonisation et l’acquisition de connaissances des Maori locaux qui ont été, paradoxalement, déplacés par les mêmes procédés.

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Acknowledgments:

A large number of people assisted with this archaeological project. The excavators were Maria Butcher, Jason Gay, Jenepher Glover, James Robinson, Sheryl McPherson, Hayden Cawte, Elise Allen, Andy Brown, Carmen Sarjeant, Matt Carter, Bill Edwards, and Ed and Diana Gonzalez-Tennant. Dave McKenzie of the Dunedin City Council and Blair McGill and Neale Davis of Naylor Love managed the overall construction project. Matt Schmidt and Owen Graham of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (now Heritage New Zealand) managed the legislative issues. Dilys Johns and Rod Wallace of the University of Auckland performed the conservation work on the causeway and the timber identifications, respectively, and Gretel Boswijk provided advice on dendrochronological issues. Dr. Ralph Allen assisted with the identifications of other botanical material. Laboratory analysis of the artifacts from the site was carried out with the help of Maria Butcher, Jason Gay, Sheryl McPherson, and Anna Willis. Rachael Egerton, Ken Bradley, and Jackie Breen (all of the Department of Conservation) provided information about the use of corduroy for walking tracks. Chris Scott (Dunedin City Council Archives) provided information about early building regulations. The conserved causeway timbers and associated artifact collection are held by the Otago Settlers Museum in Dunedin. The work was funded by the Dunedin City Council. I would also like to thank the three anonymous reviewers for their useful comments.

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  1. Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

    Peter Petchey

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Petchey, P. First Footsteps in a New World City: The Dunedin Causeway and Early Settlers’ Adaptation to Their New Home. Hist Arch 52, 700–716 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-017-0082-7

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