Late Holocene Marshall Islands Archaeological Tuna Records Provide Proxy Evidence for ENSO Variability in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean

Lambrides, Ariana B. J.; Weisler, Marshall I.

doi:10.1080/15564894.2017.1315350

Cited by 15 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…Several worked Tridacna fragments appear to be tool‐making debitage. This site has also previously been identified as the location of the largest assemblage of skipjack tuna ( Katsuwonis pelamis ) on Ebon Atoll (Lambrides & Weisler ) and the early date in addition to the substantial K. pelamis and Tridacna spp. assemblage point towards a site of some importance in the early period occupation on Ebon Atoll.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Ethnographic evidence and storage pits from archaeological sites demonstrate that Marshall Islanders developed effective methods for preserving terrestrial foods in preparation for times of scarcity (Horrocks & Weisler 2006;Pollock 1984;Spoehr et al 1949;Weisler 2001b). Studies of marine resource extraction in the archipelago, including Weisler (2001b) and Lambrides and Weisler (2017), have not identified evidence for human impacts to finfish resources in archaeological contexts, despite rich and dense fishbone assemblages. This analysis demonstrates that foraging on Ebon Atoll focused on a broad range of taxa from different habitats, with most foraging occurring on reef flat pavements on leeward islets, with windward islets reporting higher abundances of taxa from rocks and boulders.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The reefs of the Marshall Islands host at least 1655 mollusc species, and ß860 fish taxa (Richmond et al 2000) that provide critical economic resources. Archaeological research has demonstrated that Marshall Islanders exploited marine resources for subsistence and raw materials since colonisation about 2000 years ago (Dye 1987a;Kayanne et al 2011;Weisler 1999aWeisler , 2000, with little negative impact (Lambrides & Weisler 2017;Weisler 2001b). However, the long-term patterns of mollusc foraging in these reef habitats is not well understood, especially as it relates to potential human impacts to coral reef ecosystems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Two millennia of mollusc foraging on Ebon Atoll, Marshall Islands: Sustained marine resource use on a Pacific atoll

Harris

Weisler

2017

Archaeology in Oceania

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Small, remote islands, such as low coral atolls, with nutrient‐poor, biogenic soils for food crops and vulnerability to extreme weather, have long been considered marginal environments for human habitation. Yet, four decades of archaeological research in the atoll archipelago of the Marshall Islands, eastern Micronesia have demonstrated sustained human occupation there for over two millennia. Here, we present a fine‐grained analysis of mollusc remains from four recently excavated archaeological sites (4476 total MNI / 14843 total NISP) combined with mapping and analysis of extant benthic habitats, on Ebon Atoll, Marshall Islands. We examine spatial and temporal variability in mollusc foraging practices from prehistoric village sites and ephemeral camp sites across the windward–leeward exposure gradient. Our analysis demonstrates that foragers targeted a rich assemblage of taxa from different habitats, reflecting a foraging strategy that was adapted to local environmental conditions. Human foraging over 2000 years documented no observable human impacts to molluscs or nearshore intertidal marine ecosystems, challenging previous notions of atolls as marginal, exceptionally difficult settings for human habitation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Two millennia of mollusc foraging on Ebon Atoll, Marshall Islands: Sustained marine resource use on a Pacific atoll

Harris

Weisler

2017

Archaeology in Oceania

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“…This is a 'coarse-grained' method of reconstructing fish length, but does still require a comprehensive reference collection and more specific taxonomic identifications of archaeological specimens to enhance its efficacy. Secondly, and the most accurate for assessing alterations in fish size from Pacific archaeological sites, is the use of raw bone measurements of only those elements identified to taxon Lambrides and Weisler 2017). This method allows an assessment of changes in bone size through time, a method useful for estimating changes in fish size through time, when fish size determinations are not possible.…”

Section: How Do the Taxonomic Identification Protocols Used For Analymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This research contributes to key archaeological themes, including: methods and methodological approaches for prehistoric fishing studies , marine resource exploitation Lambrides and Weisler 2017), archaeological proxies of past climate stability, and comparability of archaeological and ecological datasets (Lambrides and Weisler 2017) in order to address key gaps in the literature.…”

Section: Chapter 1: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustained prehistoric exploitation of a Marshall Islands fishery: ichthyoarchaeological approaches, marine resource use, and human-environment interactions on Ebon Atoll

Lambrides¹

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Atolls are often characterised in terms of the environmental constraints and challenges these landscapes impose on sustained habitation, including: nutrient-poor soils and salt laden winds that impede plant growth, lack of perennial surface fresh water, limited terrestrial biodiversity, and vulnerability to extreme weather events and inundation since most atolls are only 2-3 m above sea level. Yet, on Ebon Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands in eastern Micronesia, the oceanside and lagoonside intertidal marine environments are expansive, with the reef area four times larger than the land area, supporting a diverse range of taxa. Given the importance of finfish resources in the Pacific, and specifically Ebon, this provided an ideal context for evaluating methods and methodological approaches for conducting Pacific ichthyoarchaeological analyses, and based on this assessment, implement high resolution and globally recognised approaches to investigate the spatial and temporal variation in the Ebon marine fishery. Variability in landscape use, alterations in the range of taxa captured, archaeological proxies of past climate stability, and the comparability of archaeological and ecological datasets were considered. Utilising a historical ecology approach, this thesis provides an analysis of the exploitation of the Ebon marine fishery from initial settlement to the historic period-two millennia of continuous occupation.The thesis demonstrated the importance of implementing high resolution methods and methodologies when considering long-term human interactions with marine fisheries. Improving methods and data quality of Pacific fishing studies included using vertebral morphometrics for fish size reconstructions and the utilisation of all cranial and postcranial remains for taxonomic identifications. Spatial analysis of habitation sites spread across three islets representing the windward-leeward gradient indicated that marine environments local to each site were not influencing taxonomic composition, but the variability in richness and evenness identified is likely a reflection of fishing technology and site function. There was no indication of significant human impact to the inshore reef taxa, which may be a reflection of the flexible foraging strategies implemented and the resilience and structure of these marine environments. As such, the shifts in the relative abundance of skipjack (K. pelamis) in the archaeological sites were attributed to the potential influence of ENSO variability over the last two millennia.With the implementation of these comprehensive methods and the use of historical ecology as a conceptual framework the range of research questions that could be explored was expanded.Consequently, this thesis was able to address some of these questions, including: the identification of variability in foraging practices across small spatial scales, the usefulness of ichthyoarchaeological data for tracking environmental stability, and distinguishing between changes ii in resource availability and s...

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The origins of the Kula Ring: Archaeological and maritime perspectives from the southern Massim and Mailu areas of Papua New Guinea

Irwin

Shaw

McAlister

2018

Archaeology in Oceania

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This paper is focused on the archaeology of Massim exchange and the development of the Kula Ring. It establishes an ethnographic baseline for the European contact period, and summarises fieldwork in the southern Massim. It provides a first description of the prehistoric pottery sequence and draws together previous information from the northern Massim and the Mailu area into a study of the archaeological origins of the Kula Ring. In the last centuries of prehistory the Massim became isolated from the PNG mainland by warfare and, at the same time, islands of the Massim became more connected. The geographical configuration of the Kula was influenced by seasonal winds and the sailing performance of nagega canoes. Some islands were advantaged in their location, but others lay upwind from the Kula islands and outside the Ring. Among the Kula islands, exchanges resolved into a gyre and concepts of Kula magic and ritual spread across the open borders of adjacent communities. In late prehistory the small southern island of Tubetube became a dominant centre when it established a direct connection with the trade in industrial stone from Woodlark Island. Finally, when the Massim was pacified by the colonial government the ethnographic Kula was free to sail, and sea lanes to the mainland opened again. RÉSUMÉCet article se concentre sur l'archéologie de l'échange Massim et le développement du Kula Ring. Ilétablit une ligne de base ethnographique pour la période de contact européenne, et résume le travail de terrain dans le sud Massim. Il fournit une première description de la séquence de poterie préhistorique et rassemble des informations antérieures provenant de la région nord de Massim et de la région de Mailu dans uneétude des origines archéologiques du Kula Ring. Dans les derniers siècles de la préhistoire, les Massim se sont isolés de la partie continentale de la PNG par la guerre et, en même temps, lesîles des Massim se sont rapprochées. La configuration géographique du Kula aété influencée par les vents saisonniers et les performances de navigation des pirogues nagega. Certainesîleś etaient favoriséesà leur emplacement, mais d'autres se trouvaient en amont desîles Kula età l'extérieur du Ring. Parmi lesîles de Kula, leséchanges se sont résolus en un gyre et les concepts de la magie et du rituel de Kula se sont répartisà travers les frontières ouvertes des communautés adjacentes.À la fin de la préhistoire, la petiteîle du sud de Tubetube devint un centre dominant lorsqu'elleétablit un lien direct avec le commerce de la pierre industrielle de l'île Woodlark. Finalement, lorsque le Massim fut pacifié par le gouvernement colonial, l'ethnographique Kula fut libre de naviguer et les voies maritimes pour le continent s'ouvrirentà nouveau.

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Late Holocene Marshall Islands Archaeological Tuna Records Provide Proxy Evidence for ENSO Variability in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean

Cited by 15 publications

References 98 publications

Two millennia of mollusc foraging on Ebon Atoll, Marshall Islands: Sustained marine resource use on a Pacific atoll

Two millennia of mollusc foraging on Ebon Atoll, Marshall Islands: Sustained marine resource use on a Pacific atoll

Sustained prehistoric exploitation of a Marshall Islands fishery: ichthyoarchaeological approaches, marine resource use, and human-environment interactions on Ebon Atoll

The origins of the Kula Ring: Archaeological and maritime perspectives from the southern Massim and Mailu areas of Papua New Guinea

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