Cook Island artifact geochemistry demonstrates spatial and temporal extent of pre-European interarchipelago voyaging in East Polynesia

Abstract

The Cook Islands are considered the “gateway” for human colonization of East Polynesia, the final chapter of Oceanic settlement and the last major region occupied on Earth. Indeed, East Polynesia witnessed the culmination of the greatest maritime migration in human history. Perennial debates have critiqued whether Oceanic settlement was purposeful or accidental, the timing and pathways of colonization, and the nature and extent of postcolonization voyaging—essential for small founding groups securing a lifeline between parent and daughter communities. Centering on the well-dated Tangatatau rockshelter, Mangaia, Southern Cook Islands, we charted the temporal duration and geographic spread of exotic stone adze materials—essential woodworking tools found throughout Polynesia— imported for more than 300 y beginning in the early AD 1300s. Using a technique requiring only 200 mg of sample for the geochemical analysis of trace elements and isotopes of fine-grained basalt adzes, we assigned all artifacts to an island or archipelago of origin. Adze material was identified from the chiefly complex on the Austral Islands, from the major adze quarry complex on Tutuila (Samoa), and from the Marquesas Islands more than 2,400 km distant. This interaction is the only dated example of down-the-line exchange in central East Polynesia where intermediate groups transferred commodities attesting to the interconnectedness and complexity of social relations fostered during postsettlement voyaging. For the Cook Islands, this exchange may have lasted into the 1600s, at least a century later than other East Polynesian archipelagos, suggesting that interarchipelago interaction contributed to the later development of social hierarchies.

Fishhook variability and cultural transmission in East Polynesia

“…Some have suggested that the Cook Islands were a gateway for colonisation of East Polynesia (Allen & Wallace ), and recent research provides evidence for prehistoric movement of lithic materials between the Cooks and other islands of West and East Polynesia (Weisler et al . ). The connection of Pukapuka, and to a lesser extent Aitutaki, to the Hawaiian and Society Islands may offer further evidence of the Cook Islands’ regional role.…”

“…; Weisler et al . ). However, it is significant that many of the strongest relationships revealed here are between islands of different archipelagos (see Figures a & b).…”

“…; Weisler et al . ). Network approaches have much to offer researchers who seek to visualise and understand the interplay of human sociality as evidenced in archaeological data (Brughmans ).…”

“…Archaeological applications embody this concept of social interaction, revealing complex nonlinear relationships among archaeological populations (Hart & Engelbrecht 2012;Knappett et al 2008;Riede 2008;Terrell 2010b). The examination of social interaction spheres is not new to Pacific archaeology, and differential interaction among Polynesian populations continues to be explored using a variety of datasets (Cochrane 2015;Thomson et al 2014;Weisler et al 2016). Network approaches have much to offer researchers who seek to visualise and understand the interplay of human sociality as evidenced in archaeological data (Brughmans 2013).…”

Biological Anthropology in the Indo-Pacific Region: New Approaches to Age-Old Questions

“…The geographic separation between the islands of the Indo-Pacific region is useful archaeologically as it allows the teasing apart of processes related to migration from those related to trade and other forms of contact. This is more difficult in mainland Southeast Asia (Fitzpatrick and Anderson, 2008), although it is now recognised that even in the Pacific most islands are unlikely to have ever been completely socioculturally and biologically isolated (Broodbank, 2002;Weisler et al, 2016). Current research in the Pacific is now showing extensive trade links after initial colonisation including retention of contact with the Southeast Asian mainland (Clark, G.R.…”