The New York herald., 1921-07-25
MONOLIANS IN PAST
HELD NEW ZEALAND
Traces of Their Occupation
Recently Discovered in
North Island.
AT A VERY REMOTE DATE
System of Drains Found, An
tiQue Building Posts and
Strange Sculpture.

LONDON, July . An impetus has
been given to archaeological investiga-
ton in New Zealand by some curious
discoveries that have been made in one
of the kauri swamps which dot the
northern portion of the North Island.
writes an Australian correspondent of
the Times. Hitherto little has been
known as to the early population of the
country beyond the fact that when the
Maori migration arrived from the Poly
nesian Islands. nearly thirty generations
back-according to their well preserved
traditions-they found in the island a
race akin to their own. probably an
earlier migration, who have become
known as the Moriori. and have since
been either absorbed by marriage or ex-
terminated. with the exception OF a
small and degenerate remnant that now
lives in the outlying Chatham Islands
Nothing in Maori tradition accounts
for any earlier inhabitants than the
Moriori Discoveries made within the
last few months. however. suggest the
probability that New Zealand was occu-
pied thousands of years ago by a race
far superior in the arts of civilization to
either Maori or Moriori, and probably
Asiatic In origin.
The theory of possibly Mongolian
possession of New Zealand was sug-
gested some time ago, on the evidence of
the discovery at considerable depth,
in the southern part Of the North Island,
tho Wellington provincial district. of
soapstone articles. foreign as to both
material and design to those of the
Macris. One of these articles bore a
colorado resemblance to the traditional
figure Of the Buddha.
Trace of MongoIs.
The discovery lately made in the
northern part of Auckland provincial
district furnishes confirmatory evidence
both as to the probability of Mongo-
liam occupation and its very remote
date. About fifty miles south Of North
Cape. on the western coast OF the island
and close to the Awanui radio station.
stands the Awanui Swamp. some thou
sands OF acres in extent. In very re-
cent years part of this swamp has been
drained for agricultural purposes and
only now Is it being brought into actual
cultivation. The subsidence of the sur
face of the swamp has disclosed the ex-
istence of ancient drains, many miles
OF which have already been discovered,
and which could only have been made
by means of tools much superior to
those known to the Maori These drains
are uniformly about five feet in width
at the top and five feet in depth, with
regularly sloped sides, and about three
and half feet wide at the bottom. so
far as they have yet been excavated.
They can be traced for many miles
across country, running in parallel
lines, perfectly straight. and with nu-
merous right angle cross drains. Their
age Is attested by the fact that in
places huge trees, mostly purr. very
slow growing wood. have come up in
Them since their formation and are
themselves old enough to have become
reduced to decayed stumps.
In one part of the swamp there Is
mound about chain long and half a
chain in width which evidently has
been the site OF a building. Those who
first found 1t state that at It's four cor
ners there we're posts about a foot
square driven deep into the ground and
sharpened at the foot by something in
the nature of edged tools, certainly
more suitable for the purpose than any,
thing known to the Maori. Unfortu-
nately these posts were destroyed by
the settlers before their possible anti
quarian value was recognized. No sys-
tematic exploration has yet been made
that it Will now receive the close atten-
ton of scientists.
Prehistoric Carving Found.
The suggestion OF Mongolian origin
for the ancient civilization that has evil
IDENTIFY at some period fourished In the
vicinity of the Awanui Swamp arises
chiefly from a remarkable carving which
has been unearthed from the swamp. at
depth Of five feet, and has just been
secured for the Auckland Museum. 1t
is In the shape of a wooden Intel for a
building. nearly eight feet in length,
with ornementation entirely unlike that
OF Maori sculpture. In its centre there
Is representation of a human figure.
almost gorillalike In Appearance
broad, wedge shaped head with project
ing ears, small. broad nose and large
oval mouth with small tongue. The
body IL small, short and squat-indeed,
the stout five toed legs appear to
spring out of the base of the head. The
outstretched hands of the figure rest
upon O perforated framework, spreading
right and left. tho extreme ends of
which each terminate In what seems to
be the head of a saurianlike creature.
the whole entirely unlike anything sug-
gested by Maori tradition. Another sug-
aestiVe discovery made In the swamp
takes the form of waterworn stones,
about the size of the average hens egg.
carved with human features quite dis
similar to those familiar on Maori scuIp-
lures
Ancient drains of mysterious origin
are not confined TO the Awanui Swamp.
Further south in the North Island an
other extensive swamp area. known as
the Haurakl Plains, near the once IA
nous Thames gold field, has lately been
drained and opened up for settlement
Here also the same phenomena in the
way of deep and wide drains have come
90 light. In neither instance have the
Maaoris any tradition which betrays any
knowledge whatever of people anterior
to the Moriori, nor does IL seem thai
they had any knowledge OF the existence
OF the drains.