One of four large valleys on the windward side of East Moloka'i, H & amacr;lawa was a major centre of traditional irrigated taro cultivation in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Leveraging prior results of archaeological research undertaken in 1969-1970, from 2020 to 2022 we investigated the valley's irrigated and dryland agricultural features in order to better understand the longue dur & eacute;e of agricultural development, and to assess the long-term sustainability of the agroecosystem. Extensive sampling and analysis of soil nutrient properties reveal that the colluvial slopes have the greatest potential to support intensive cultivation, and that the irrigated alluvial flats are likely enriched by periodic transport of colluvial sediments due to flooding and overland mass transport. The earliest evidence for agricultural activities, dated to ca. AD 1200, is suggestive of shifting cultivation on the colluvial slopes. Stone-faced irrigated terraces were in place by at least by the late 13th or early 14th centuries, and a stone-lined irrigation canal by the mid-15th century. Extensive pondfields on the lower alluvial flats near the river mouth were constructed later, in the mid-17th century, presumably after the marshy terrain was elevated through deposition of sediments eroded from the interior valley slopes. Extensive dryland (non-irrigated) terraces were constructed on the colluvial slopes in the 17th and 18th centuries. Geochemical analysis of stratified sediments in pondfield terraces is indicative of some nutrient draw-down through intensive cultivation over long time periods, however the agroecosystem remained sustainable due to continued rejuvenation of soil nutrients through regular down-valley transport of fertile colluvium. Potential drivers of agricultural intensification are discussed. H & amacr;lawa, l'une des quatre grandes vall & eacute;es situ & eacute;es du c & ocirc;t & eacute; expos & eacute; au vent de Moloka'i Est, & eacute;tait un important centre de culture traditionnelle du taro irrigu & eacute; aux XIXe et d & eacute;but XXe si & egrave;cles. En nous appuyant sur les r & eacute;sultats de recherches arch & eacute;ologiques men & eacute;es en 1969-1970, nous avons men & eacute;, de 2020 & agrave; 2022, des & eacute;tudes et des fouilles dans les zones agricoles irrigu & eacute;es et s & egrave;ches de la vall & eacute;e afin de mieux comprendre le d & eacute;veloppement agricole & agrave; long terme et d'& eacute;valuer la durabilit & eacute; & agrave; long terme de l'agro & eacute;cosyst & egrave;me. Des & eacute;chantillonnages et analyses approfondis des propri & eacute;t & eacute;s nutritives du sol r & eacute;v & egrave;lent que les pentes colluviales pr & eacute;sentent le plus fort potentiel pour une culture intensive, et que les plaines alluviales irrigu & eacute;es sont probablement enrichies par le transport p & eacute;riodique de s & eacute;diments colluviaux d & ucirc; aux inondations et au transport terrestre de masse. Les premi & egrave;res traces d'activit & eacute;s agricoles, dat & eacute;es d'environ 1200 apr & egrave;s J.-C., sugg & egrave;rent une culture itin & eacute;rante sur les pentes colluviales. Des terrasses irrigu & eacute;es & agrave; parement pierreux & eacute;taient en place au moins & agrave; la fin du XIIIe ou au d & eacute;but du XIVe si & egrave;cle, et un canal d'irrigation bord & eacute; de pierres & eacute;tait en place au milieu du XVe si & egrave;cle. De vastes champs d'& eacute;tangs sur les plaines alluviales inf & eacute;rieures pr & egrave;s de l'embouchure du fleuve ont & eacute;t & eacute; am & eacute;nag & eacute;s plus tard, au milieu du XVIIe si & egrave;cle, vraisemblablement apr & egrave;s que le terrain mar & eacute;cageux ait & eacute;t & eacute; sur & eacute;lev & eacute; par le d & eacute;p & ocirc;t de s & eacute;diments & eacute;rod & eacute;s des pentes int & eacute;rieures de la vall & eacute;e. De vastes terrasses s & egrave;ches (non irrigu & eacute;es) ont & eacute;t & eacute; am & eacute;nag & eacute;es sur les pentes colluviales aux XVIIe et XVIIIe si & egrave;cles. L'analyse g & eacute;ochimique des s & eacute;diments stratifi & eacute;s des terrasses des champs d'& eacute;tangs indique une certaine absorption des nutriments par la culture intensive sur de longues p & eacute;riodes. Cependant, l'agro & eacute;cosyst & egrave;me est rest & eacute; durable gr & acirc;ce au renouvellement continu des nutriments du sol par le transport r & eacute;gulier de colluvions fertiles vers l'aval de la vall & eacute;e. Les facteurs potentiels de l'intensification agricole sont abord & eacute;s.

This study examines a 3,000-yr-long sequence of human-marine interaction and exploitation through the zooarchaeological record of fishbones excavated from sites on the Polynesian Outlier of Tikopia (Solomon Islands). Selected skeletal elements of five taxa (Acanthuridae, Balistidae, Diodon hystrix, Holocentridae, and Scaridae cf. Scarus spp.) were measured as a proxy for fish size, given the allometric relationships between element size and fish size. All fish vertebrae were also measured. Statistical analysis, including Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA and Dunn's Test, revealed significant temporal size changes in the Acanthuridae, D. hystrix, and Scarus spp. assemblages, but not in the Balistidae or Holocentridae. The Acanthuridae exhibit statistically significant size reductions in the middle phase of Tikopia prehistory, followed by a rebound in size in the late period, a pattern also seen in the total fish vertebrae assemblage. D. hystrix and Scarus spp. exhibit significant size reductions over time, without a rebound in the late period. Likely drivers of these changes include both natural and human-induced changes to the island's reef ecosystem, as well as the long-term effects of fishing pressure on this small, densely populated island where fish have been the main source of protein for three millennia.

To date, no quarries were known on the eastern part of Moloka'i Island, and it was assumed that the Kaluako'i quarries on West Moloka'i supplied the East Moloka'i communities with adze material. Here, we report on the identification of a major quarry at Honoko'i Gulch, near H & amacr;lawa Valley at the island's eastern tip. Fine-grained basalt (technically hawaiite-mugearite) exposed in a massive cliff was extracted and reduced to adze preforms at the quarry itself as well as at several flaking areas. EDXRF analysis of the quarry material demonstrates that it is identical to the Group A basalt debitage previously analyzed at the H & amacr;lawa Dune Site, indicating that the Honoko'i quarry was a significant source of adze material for the occupants of H & amacr;lawa Valley. Radiocarbon dates from Honoko'i and from the H & amacr;lawa Dune Site indicate that the quarry was in use from as early as AD 1366-1610. An unusual feature at the quarry itself is the presence of several anthropomorphic petroglyphs.

Abstract This chapter provides an overview of the archaeology of East Polynesia (with the exception of Aotearoa, which is treated in a separate chapter). Whereas the island cultures of West Polynesia were settled ca. 800-900 BC, the East Polynesian islands were not discovered and settled until much later, between AD 950-1250. This final stage of Polynesian expansion included contact with South America, and introduction of the sweet potato to East Polynesia. Today, every major island in East Polynesia has seen at least some archaeological investigation and some islands have had extensive research. Major themes of current research include: continued voyaging, interaction, and exchanges between islands following initial settlement; the impact of human activities on island biota and landscapes, resulting in the development of socioecosystems; the intensification of agricultural and other means of production; and, the rise of complex socio-political systems, as evidenced in particular through household archaeology and the study of monumentality. A holistic, multidisciplinary approach that combines archaeology with natural sciences, linguistics, cultural anthropology, and oral traditions has proven critical to refining our understanding of long-term dynamics and cultural changes in East Polynesia.

The application of Social Network Analysis to the study of archaeological networks has become increasingly common around the world, with a proven track record of processing large, complex, spatial and temporal archaeological datasets. This study builds upon previous network-based analyses of interaction between communities of the Lapita Cultural Complex, with a specific focus on the Early Period (c.3300/3200-3100 calBP) in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. Employing motif inventories from 13 Early Lapita Period assemblages, motif similarity and Centrality Analysis are undertaken, with the results compared to data from portable material culture, particularly obsidian and pottery, to further define the networks of interaction that linked communities during this period. We conclude that motif similarities and Centrality Analysis scores show good agreement with patterns of interactions established from the analysis of other types of portable material culture, which together support the existence of northern west to east and southern obsidian distribution networks, comprised of communities that employed unique types of interaction tailored towards their own cultural and societal circumstances and needs. Finally, we further conclude that these two networks may have arisen during the initial formation of the Lapita Cultural Complex, as populations established new social connections with other settler communities and incumbent populations across the region to survive in a new and foreign environment. L'analyse de r & eacute;seau en arch & eacute;ologie est devenue courante & agrave; travers le monde, donnant les preuves de sa valeur dans le traitement de larges et complexes ensembles de donn & eacute;es spatiales et chronologiques. Cette & eacute;tude s'appuie sur les r & eacute;sultats d'analyses de r & eacute;seau ant & eacute;rieures portant sur les interactions entre les communaut & eacute;s du complexe culturel de Lapita, avec un accent particulier sur la p & eacute;riode initiale (c.3300/3200-3100 calBP) dans l'archipel de Bismarck, en Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guin & eacute;e. Une analyse de centralit & eacute; et de similarit & eacute; des motifs de poterie est conduite & agrave; partir des inventaires de motifs de 13 assemblages de la p & eacute;riode Lapita initiale, et les r & eacute;sultats sont compar & eacute;s aux donn & eacute;es tir & eacute;es des analyses du mobilier lithique, en particulier d'obsidienne, et c & eacute;ramique afin de mieux d & eacute;finir les r & eacute;seaux d'interaction entre communaut & eacute;s de cette p & eacute;riode. Nous montrons que les similitudes de motifs et les r & eacute;sultats de l'analyse de centralit & eacute; sont en accord avec les mod & egrave;les d'interactions pr & eacute;alablement & eacute;tablis & agrave; partir de l'analyse d'autres types de mat & eacute;riel culturel. Ensemble, ils soutiennent l'existence de deux r & eacute;seaux distincts de distribution d'obsidienne, l'un septentrional (allant de l'ouest & agrave; l'est), l'autre m & eacute;ridional, compos & eacute;s de communaut & eacute;s employant des types sp & eacute;cifiques d'interactions adapt & eacute;s & agrave; leurs propres circonstances et besoins sociaux et culturels. Enfin, nous concluons que ces deux r & eacute;seaux pourraient & ecirc;tre apparus lors de la formation initiale du complexe culturel de Lapita, quand les populations & eacute;tablissaient de nouveaux liens sociaux tant avec les autres communaut & eacute;s de nouveaux arrivants qu'avec les populations d & eacute;j & agrave; & eacute;tablies & agrave; travers la r & eacute;gion afin de subsister dans un environnement nouveau et & eacute;tranger.

The late pre-contact vegetation of Ha-lawa Valley, Moloka'i Island, is assessed through the analysis of macroscopic (charcoal) and microscopic (pollen, phytoliths, and starch grains) plant remains recovered from archaeological excavations of sites dating to the period from 1600 to 1800 C.E. The results indicate an anthropogenically modified, open landscape dominated by Polynesian-introduced cultigens ("canoe plants"), ferns, sedges, and grasses, and a limited number of indigenous or endemic shrubs or trees with known uses in traditional Hawaiian culture. Nine Polynesian introductions are represented in the archaeobotanical record, including trees (candlenut, breadfruit, coconut, and Malay apple) and field crops (taro, banana, ti, noni, and bottle gourd). Sampling of the contemporary vegetation of Ha-lawa Valley at 238 locations demonstrates the persistence of these and several other Polynesian-introduced taxa, whose populations may preserve cultivars of ethnobotanical significance.

ABSTRACT Building upon a pioneering 1909 survey of Moloka‘i Island heiau (temples) by archaeologist John F. G. Stokes, the pre‐contact temple system of Hālawa Valley is described and analysed. Ten heiau were relocated and mapped, with seven sites test excavated and radiocarbon dated. The majority of sites are terraces or terraced platforms in architectural form, ranging in size from 72 to 1300 square meters in basal area. Functionally, the temples include fishing shrines ( ko‘a ), agricultural or fertility temples ( heiau ho‘oulu‘ai ), and one luakini or temple of human sacrifice dedicated to the war god Kū. The orientations of the temple foundations appear to be deliberate (rather than dictated by topography). One group is slightly offset from cardinality and shows an eastward orientation, likely associated with the god Kāne. A second group exhibits an orientation to the ENE, which is the direction of the star cluster Makali‘i (Pleiades), whose achronycal rising determined the onset of the Makahiki season dedicated to the god Lono. The radiocarbon dates indicate that the temples were constructed during the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries, or the Archaic States Period of the Hawaiian cultural sequence.

Most studies of the food resource potential of early Polynesian populations focus exclusively on agricultural potential, and specifically starchy staples, despite the importance of marine resources to the Polynesians. To more accurately estimate total precontact food resource availability, we characterized the terrestrial and near-shore marine environments of four Polynesian islands: Moʻorea, Maupiti, Mangareva and Taravai. We estimate the agricultural potential of each island after a consideration of the ecological factors related to productivity. We also estimate the productivity of the near-shore marine environment as a function of surface area. Using a range of fish yield scenarios from Pacific subsistence systems we scale relative measures of faunal food biomass derived from local archaeological excavations to generate absolute biomass estimates. We convert our estimates of agricultural and fished/foraged food potential into a maximum population size based on calorie availability. Moʻorea’s fertile valleys and wetlands would potentially generate sufficient food energy, mostly from starchy staples, to support a considerable population, many times larger than the other islands. In the most likely fish yield scenario Moʻorea gets only 0.4

The availability of nutrient-rich soils capable of supporting intensive cultivation was a key factor in the relative vulnerability and resilience of traditional Polynesian societies, whose economies were based on agricultural production. We tested the hypothesis that geological age was a key controlling factor in determining the nutrient status of island soils, extensively sampling soils on two islands and a small archipelago in southeastern Polynesia: Mo'orea (1.5-1.72 Ma), Maupiti (3.9-4.5 Ma), and the Gambier Islands (5.6-6.3 Ma). Rather than supporting a hypothesis of island age primarily determining soil fertility, our results indicate that topographic relief, the presence of active slope processes such as landslides and mass wasting, and rainfall are more important controlling factors. Rejuvenation of soil nutrients due to mass wasting, in particular, appears to be the most important factor contributing to soil fertility. Our field surveys also provide archaeological evidence showing that precontact Polynesians were finely attuned to local soil properties, targeting high soil fertility areas for agriculture and reserving lower fertility areas for other land use practices.

The first edition of Feathered Gods and Fishhooks was the pioneering synthesis of ancient Hawaiian civilization from an archaeological perspective. This long-awaited revised edition now brings the field up-to-date, incorporating the results from literally hundreds of archaeological projects undertaken throughout the Hawaiian Islands over the past thirty-five years that have benefited from tremendous technological advancements, and presents an authoritative account of the origins and progression of Hawaiian culture prior to the arrival of Europeans. Generously illustrated, this revision includes dozens of new photographs and maps, along with a selection of color plates. This volume, like its predecessor, provides a synthesis of Hawaiian archaeology that avoids unnecessary jargon and is comprehensible to the interested layperson, yet is sufficiently detailed to be useful to the professional archaeologist. Feathered Gods and Fishhooks begins with an explanation of archaeological practice in Hawai‘i, from antiquarian pursuits in the late nineteenth century through the development of modern research techniques, taking into account the recent tensions surrounding the significant shift of archaeology from a largely academic endeavor to a professional consulting enterprise. Following a review of environmental constraints and opportunities, and of the main kinds of archaeological evidence, the book explores the latest information on the first Polynesian settlement of Hawai‘i. To achieve a holistic view, the wide range of topics discussed in this work include material culture, agricultural systems, population size, ritual architecture variations, diversity in landscapes, and archaeological evidence for historical transformations following European contact. The final chapters survey, island-by-island, major sites and patterns of ancient settlement. In total, this book tells a story of Hawaiian history, culture, and wisdom in an attempt to preserve ancestral archaeological records. As with the first edition, Feathered Gods and Fishhooks: The Archaeology of Ancient Hawai‘i is an indispensable resource on the history of ancient Hawai‘i. Of particular note is the extensive bibliography, a key guide to hundreds of often difficult to locate reports and publications on Hawaiian archaeology.

Analyzing the spatial and temporal properties of information flow with a multi-century perspective could illu-minate the sustainability of human resource-use strategies. This paper uses historical and archaeological datasets to assess how spatial, temporal, cognitive, and cultural limitations impact the generation and flow of information about ecosystems within past societies, and thus lead to tradeoffs in sustainable practices. While it is well un-derstood that conflicting priorities can inhibit successful outcomes, case studies from Eastern Polynesia, the North Atlantic, and the American Southwest suggest that imperfect information can also be a major impediment to sustainability. We formally develop a conceptual model of Environmental Information Flow and Perception (EnIFPe) to examine the scale of information flow to a society and the quality of the information needed to promote sustainable coupled natural-human systems. In our case studies, we assess key aspects of information flow by focusing on food web relationships and nutrient flows in socio-ecological systems, as well as the life cycles, population dynamics, and seasonal rhythms of organisms, the patterns and timing of species' migration, and the trajectories of human-induced environmental change. We argue that the spatial and temporal dimensions of human environments shape society's ability to wield information, while acknowledging that varied cultural factors also focus a society's ability to act on such information. Our analyses demonstrate the analytical importance of completed experiments from the past, and their utility for contemporary debates concerning managing imperfect information and addressing conflicting priorities in modern environmental management and resource use.

The Halawa dune site on Moloka'i Island has played a key role in understanding early Hawaiian history. Initially excavated in 1969-1970 and regarded then as dating to the early phase of Hawaiian settlement, the site yielded a diverse artifact assemblage and the first evidence for round-ended house foundations in Hawai'i. Prior attempts to refine the site's chronology yielded inconsistent results. Renewed excavations and re-analysis of previously excavated collections from the site have allowed for recovery of a stratigraphically controlled sample of faunal materials and charcoal. AMS dating of candlenut endocarp indicates initial use of Mound A cal AD 1366-1610, with occupation continuing into the post-contact period. Matched pairs of candlenut and marine mollusk shell dates allow for the derivation of a Halawa-specific marine reservoir value (Delta R = -267), in turn permitting the calibration of 12 dates on marine mollusk shells excavated from Mound B in 1970. Faunal materials from the 2020 Mound A excavation add new information on patterns of marine exploitation, and on a trend of increased frequency of domestic pig and dog over time. Charcoal identified from Mound A indicates largely native forest taxa, but with several Polynesian-introduced plants as well, including candlenut, breadfruit, and mountain apple.

Asian Perspectives, Vol. 63, No. 1 © 2024 by the University of Hawai‘i Press. IN MEMORIAM REMEMBERING DOUGLAS ERNEST YEN (20 MARCH 1924 – 7 JULY 2023) Early online release of obituary in press. Douglas E. Yen passed away peacefully at the age of 99, in Clovis, California. He was one of the most influential ethnobotanists and archaeobotanists of the Pacific and Asia region, even though his becoming an ethnobotanist was not planned but rather ‘accidental’ in nature. I offer this reflection on Doug’s life from the perspective of one who was mentored by him at an early age, then became a collaborating colleague, as well as a life-long friend. In his final years we kept in touch regularly by phone and I had the pleasure of seeing him from time to time in California and Hawai‘i. Doug was born in Wellington, New Zealand, to Lily and Ernest Hai Yen, who owned a Chinese import store. Growing up, Doug played field hockey, tennis, and table tennis very competitively in school; he continued playing tennis into his 60s and table tennis into his 80s. As a child, Doug attended St. Mark’s Church School, then Wellington College (what we would call a high school), from which he graduated in 1942. Later that year he matriculated at Victoria College (then the University of New Zealand), but transferred to Massey College (now known as Massey University of New Zealand) in 1944, because he wanted to focus on agricultural science. Massey College, in Palmerston North, was New Zealand’s primary center for teaching and research in agriculture. Doug received his Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Science in 1946 and a Master’s degree in the same field the following year. Upon seeing a photograph of a lovely young woman at his sister’s house, he asked to be introduced. Her name was Nancy Wah Lee. She and her sister Alice had been caught in Hong Kong during the Japanese invasion on December 7, 1941. The sisters managed to flee the Japanese army during the war by means of a harrowing journey that took them across China and over the Himalayas to India, after which they made their way to New Zealand to join relatives. Doug and Nancy were married on April 6, 1949, and remained devoted life partners. In 1948, Doug was appointed to the position of Plant Breeder in the Crop Research Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) located in Lincoln, New Zealand. He was promoted in 1953 to Officer-in-charge of the Vegetable Breeding Station, Crop Research Division, DSIR, in Otara, near Auckland, a post that he continued to hold until 1966, when he relocated to Honolulu’s Bishop Museum in Hawai‘i. During the period at the Otara station, Doug began to come into his own as a researcher, publishing papers on such topics as “Seed variation in pea rouges” (1954, in New Zealand Journal of Science and Technology 36: 117-121) and “Selection of cabbage strains for New Zealand” (1956, in New Zealand Commercial Grower). It was also during this period that he began a long-term interest in the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), known to the Māori people of New Zealand as kumara, their most important traditional crop. Realizing that old Māori varieties of kumara as well as traditional knowledge of their names and properties were disappearing, in 1954 Doug began a program of visiting rural Māori communities to collect sweet potato material, bringing this back to the Otara station for planting in a living collection. In time this would become the most comprehensive collection of Ipomoea batatas in the world; eventually much of the collection would be transferred to Japan, where it continues to be curated at the Institute of Crop Science, Tsukuba, and at Kyushu Agricultural Research Center. While Doug’s early efforts at sweet potato collection were simply rooted in his desire to preserve the old varieties with their potential to breed better commercial hybrids, his formidable intellect soon had him grasping at larger questions. There had been considerable academic debate as to the origins of the sweet potato and its dispersal into the Pacific, some...