Jade Tool with a Mystery

This tiny 3300 year old jade tool was found lying on a coral reef which was covered with sand on the island of Emirau in the Bismark archipelago. The gouge was used in the carving of wood and probably made by the Lapita people who settled these islands more than 3000 years ago.

Other gouges have been found however this one is different from the others as it is made of a stone that is not native to the islands and probably came to the island from many miles away. It is thought that perhaps it is one of the oldest of it's kind on the island and may have come with the Lapita people from wherever they migrated from?

CREDIT: Les O’Neil, University of Otago