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Buried Village Investigation

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Buried Village Investigation

Read the evidence, then solve the questions. Use details from the passage and evidence table. Some answers need more than one piece of evidence.

Case file: Te Wairoa

Te Wairoa was a settlement near Lake Tarawera in the Rotorua district. Māori lived in the area, and the settlement later included Māori and European residents. In the 19th century, visitors stayed at Te Wairoa before travelling to see the famous Pink and White Terraces, natural silica formations near Lake Rotomahana. In the early hours of 10 June 1886, Mount Tarawera erupted. The eruption sent ash, rock and hot mud across the surrounding area. Te Wairoa was buried beneath volcanic material, buildings were damaged or destroyed, and people lost their lives. Survivors had to leave the devastated settlement. Over time, parts of the buried settlement were uncovered. Archaeologists study the remains of buildings and objects to learn about people’s lives before and after the eruption. The objects are evidence, but they do not tell the whole story on their own: archaeologists also consider where items were found and compare different kinds of evidence. Today, visitors can explore the site and learn about the eruption, the people who lived there and the landscape’s history.

Evidence

What it could help investigate

A cooking pot found beside a house foundation

Food preparation and household life

A layer of ash covering a path

Where volcanic material settled and how it affected the settlement

A visitor’s written account from before the eruption

What visitors came to see and how the area was described

Read the evidence

Answer each question using the case file and evidence table.

1.When did Mount Tarawera erupt, and what happened to Te Wairoa during the eruption?

2.Why did visitors stay at Te Wairoa before the eruption?

To visit the Pink and White Terraces
To climb Mount Everest
To see a railway station
To attend a sailing race

3.True or false: The eruption affected only European residents of Te Wairoa. Use one detail from the case file to support your answer.

TrueFalse

4.Match each kind of evidence to something it could help investigate. Write the correct letter beside each item. A. Cooking pot beside a house foundation B. Ash layer covering a path C. Visitor’s written account 1. What visitors came to see 2. How volcanic material affected the settlement 3. Household life

1. What visitors came to see
2. How volcanic material affected the settlement
3. Household life

5.A cooking pot is found beside a house foundation. What might this suggest about life at the settlement? Give one sensible idea and explain how the evidence supports it.

6.Fill in the blanks: Before the eruption, visitors came to Te Wairoa because . After the eruption, archaeologists study the site to learn about .

7.Why should archaeologists look at where an object was found, as well as the object itself?

8.A visitor says, “The buried objects tell us everything about the people who lived there.” Do you agree? Explain using an idea from the case file.

9.Imagine you are creating a small museum label for a cooking pot found near a house foundation. Write two sentences: one describing what the evidence might suggest, and one explaining why your idea is not certain.