One of the more visible tools in the Rapa Nui archaeological record is a large flake modified to form a broad blade and tang. Referred to as mata'a, these implements have conventionally been interpreted as “spear points”, or weapons of war, which are proposed to have been made in large numbers during a period of internal conflict in the late seventeenth century. Obsidian hydration dating of 63 mata'a fragments from the southern coast of Rapa Nui indicates that their usage peaked in the sixteenth century, declined in frequency afterwards, and briefly spiked in the early AD 1700s. This non‐convergence with the period of warfare recorded in the oral history, and the decline in frequency of the tool within the lithic assemblage, argues for an alternative interpretation. The results of previous experimental archaeology focusing on tool breakage patterns and micro‐wear studies, coupled to island deforestation, suggests that the tool had a role to play in forest clearance.

中文翻译：

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Rapa Nui（智利复活节岛）上黑曜石Mata'a的暂时发生和可能的利用

拉帕努伊（Rapa Nui）考古记录中较易见的工具之一是将大型薄片修饰成宽阔的刀刃和柄脚。这些工具被称为Mata'a，通常被解释为“矛尖”或战争武器，被认为是在17世纪后期的内部冲突时期大量制造的。黑曜石水化约会63马塔拉帕努伊（Rapa Nui）南部海岸的碎片表明，它们的使用在16世纪达到顶峰，之后频率下降，并在公元1700年代初期短暂上升。口述历史中记录的与战争时期的不收敛以及石器组合中工具频率的下降，为我们提供了另一种解释。先前针对工具破损模式和微磨损研究的实验考古学结果，再加上岛屿森林砍伐，表明该工具在森林砍伐中发挥了作用。