An Investigation by LA-ICP-MS of Possum Tooth Enamel as a Model for Identifying Childhood Geographical Locations of Historical and Archaeological Human Remains from New Zealand

Nicola E. Cameron; Megan Balks; Ray Littler; Merilyn Manley-Harris; Ngahuia Te Awekotuku

doi:10.70460/jpa.v3i1.64

An Investigation by LA-ICP-MS of Possum Tooth Enamel as a Model for Identifying Childhood Geographical Locations of Historical and Archaeological Human Remains from New Zealand

Authors

Nicola E. Cameron Department of Chemistry, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand 3240
Megan Balks Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand 3240
Ray Littler
Merilyn Manley-Harris
Ngahuia Te Awekotuku

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70460/jpa.v3i1.64

Keywords:

LA-ICP-MS, tooth enamel, brushtail possum, geographical origin, archaeological remains, New Zealand

Abstract

LA-ICP-MS (laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry) has been used to analyse enamel from the teeth of brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) in order to model a method for identifying the childhood geographi- cal origin of human remains within New Zealand. The model application of the method is promising for establishing locations of historical and archaeological human remains, including preserved heads, upoko tuhi.

Author Biographies

Ray Littler

Department of Statistics, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand 3240

Ngahuia Te Awekotuku

Centre for Māori and Pacific Development Research, Univer- sity of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand 3240

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Published

30-12-2011

How to Cite

Cameron, N. E., Balks, M., Littler, R., Manley-Harris, M. and Te Awekotuku, N. (2011) “An Investigation by LA-ICP-MS of Possum Tooth Enamel as a Model for Identifying Childhood Geographical Locations of Historical and Archaeological Human Remains from New Zealand”, Journal of Pacific Archaeology, 3(1), pp. 49–58. doi: 10.70460/jpa.v3i1.64.