SOUTH ISLAND ROCK PAINTING.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 May 1917, Page 8

SOUTH ISLAND ROCK PAINTING.

MAX BEFORE THE EARLIEST MAORIS. The annual report of Dr. Ronliam oil "the Otago University Museum contain* an interesting account of rock paintings in the South Island, and the may in which' these have provided a unique exhibit to the museum treasures. The report states:—"Sir. .1. L. Elmore, .111 American visitor to this Dominion, has been much impressed by the wonderful series of rock paintings executed in rock shelters that exist, in the limestone districts of the »South Island. He iSndotracings of all those paintings that lie could find or hoar of. These he brought with him to Dnnedin, find I was so influenrcd by his enthusiasm and by }iifl■ generous ofl'cr of assitanee if I would undertake the work that I arranged, to have photographs of these tracings taken. From those photographs Air. Elmore then made colored drawings of the pictograplis of each shelter, showing the true relative position of each object, a thing that, has never before been attempted for the New Zealand pictographs, but which may have some significance if it turns out'that these figures should have the value of .words or he the record of i events. Rut apart from this those colored drawings show the exact arrangement of the separate items in each rock shelter, so that' they will lie of great \alue to future students of the snbie.i. So this museum has the only complete set of such drawings pf all the known rock paintings in New Zealand. Moreover, with the liwmeinl assistance of the Otago Institute, of the Auckland Inati{utc-, and myself, Mr Elmore proceed ed to the site of some of those shelter* that stand on freehold property, and having obtained the permission of the freeholders, he removed the' rock face with the drawings thereon from several shelters. We have thus acquire! some 3(1 of the original prehistoric drawings, so that (liey are available' for anyone Intended iii thp method of this art tft study the manner of their e>:e:-uih>n and 'he nature of lite i)liiHt' I nls ysed. lliere is 110 doubt that thov urn the work _of men who inhabited the !»dii"d long before the arrival of. the rr"- ; Maori, since there is 110 re""' ' " fo the patterns used by the"'. , " ' -i-~ on wood or other i>' ■' ' < < these originals will be | to the Alte]; html M'.ri' their aid. Other*. pm*:', able to other muse: in - to contribute to t!:o • p4fing; h\:t most of t ■ ■ toe, Wl iii '!»? v togctlicf with t!»p P r t 0 '" •"• ' motioned mill U'ii il ,; ' ■. shelters 'C?. «4Y«» «li!e!l *• Mr. Elmore.