Settlement Chronologies and Shifting Resource Exploitation in Ka‘ū District, Hawaiian Islands

Museum collections contribute valuable information for cultural heritage, biological conservation, and the application of innovative and new methodological approaches. Collections deriving from archaeological projects in Hawai‘i serve as a case in point. Here, we report on re-analysis of two Ka‘ū District collections from Hawai‘i Island (HA-B22-64 and -248) to demonstrate what can be learned when applying new research questions to old collections. Our research goals center on two main themes: re-dating the HA-B22-64 and -248 sites to place them within the newly refined Hawaiian archipelago settlement chronology; and using diverse data sources to look at changing resource use in pre-Contact Hawai‘i through time. Our new AMS dating results indicate that the lower levels of rockshelter HA-B22-64 date to the mid- to Late Prehistoric period during the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries, while upper levels calibrate to the ninteenth century. Both levels of HA-B22-248 calibrate to the late eighteenth to nineteenth centuries. In terms of resource use, Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a volcanic glass is present at both sites in small amounts, which is consistent with other sites in the South Point area. However, the high percentage of Group 3 volcanic glass is unusual for the area, and represents the highest percentage for the Kona side of Hawai‘i Island. HA-B22-64 has a small number of basalt artifacts consistent with the Keahua I source on Kaua‘i, while both sites have evidence for artifacts produced from the Mauna Kea quarry. Technological data from our basalt assemblages do not support direct access to the Mauna Kea quarry nor the presence of adze specialists in Ka‘ū households; rather, we find rejuvenation and use of already finished adzes. Measurements on Scarine oral and pharyngeal jawbones illustrate a consistent and stable size structure of fish populations at both sites. This, along with the large overall fish size, is indicative of sustainable fishing practices

Preface

Preface and Abbreviation

New Radiocarbon Ages of Colonization Sites in East Polynesia

The archaeological chronology of initial human colonization in East Polynesia has relied substantially upon radiocarbon dating results from a small number of sites in the central region, notably Motu Paeao cemetery (Maupiti) and Vaito'otia-Fa'ahia (Huahine) in the Society Islands, and Hane (Va Huka) and Ha'atuatua (Nuku Hiva) in the Marquesas Islands. Recent field research and new radiocarbon dates showed that Ha'atuatua and Motu Paeao were occupied significantly later than had been suggested by earlier results. We now report the results of new radiocarbon dating on the remaining two sites. Leaving aside questionable results on bone and wood samples, six shell samples from Vaito'otia-Fa'ahia indicate occupation in the period A.D. 1050-1450. Five shell and five charcoal samples from Hane indicate that occupation did not begin earlier than about A.D. 1000. Taken together with other recent research on the chronology of initial colonization in East Polynesia we suggest that habitation did not begin until A.D. 900 or later. KEYWORDS: East Polynesia, radiocarbon dates

Methanol synthesis in a trickle bed reactor

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An analysis of Polynesian migrations based on the archaeological assessments.

Since the Oceanic Culture History Symposium was held in Fiji in 1969, archaeological investigations in Polynesia have continued, although perhaps less intensively than in the period just prior to the symposium. Results of this field work, however, have made significant additions to our knowledge of the peopling of Polynesia, especially East Polynesia. One of the most important recent discoveries is a habitation site with a water-logged cultural layer on Huahine Island in the Leeward Society Islands. This site complex and material culture represent an initial settlement period of the Society Islands, French Polynesia. They also indicate a strong cultural link between the Marquesas Islands and New Zealand. The results of field work on the islands of Pitcairn, Henderson, and in the Mangareva, Society and Hawaiian groups are discussed, particularly the evidence that supports the Marquesas Islands as a dispersal center in East Polynesia. Some of the unsolved problems of the relationship between West Polynesia and the Marquesas Islands, especially regarding pottery and fishing gear, are also discussed.Depuis le symposium tenu à Fiji en 1969 et qui avait eu pour objet l'histoire des cultures océaniennes, les recherches archéologiques se sont poursuivies en Polynésie mais peut-être, il est vrai, moins intensément que pendant la période qui précéda ce symposium. Néanmoins, ces nouvelles recherches ont apporté des résultats non négligeables pour une meilleure connaissance des processus de peuplement de la Polynésie en général, et de la Polynésie orientale en particulier. L'une des plus importantes découvertes récentes est celle d'un site ennoyé à Huahine, dans les îles Sous-le-Vent de l'archipel de la Société. Ce site complexe, et les vestiges matériels qui y sont associés, correspondent à la première phase du ment des îles de la Société (Polynésie française). Ils confirment également l'importance de leurs relations culturelles avec les îles Marquises et la Nouvelle-Zélande. Cet article examine les résultats archéologiques obtenus ailleurs, dans les îles Pitcairn, Henderson, ainsi qu'à Mangareva, et aux îles de la Société et Hawaii, résultats qui confirment le rôle des îles Marquises comme centre de dispersion des Polynésiens orientaux. Certains problèmes non résolus sont également étudiés, qui concernent les anciennes relations entre la Polynésie occidentale et les îles Marquises, en particulier ceux relatifs à la poterie et aux engins de pêche.Sinoto Yosihiko H. An analysis of Polynesian migrations based on the archaeological assessments.. In: Journal de la Société des océanistes, n°76, tome 39, 1983. pp. 57-67