Reconsidering Lapita Ancestry: Evidence of Material Change and Migration on Tutuila Island, American Samoa
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RECONSIDERING LAPITA ANCESTRY: EVIDENCE OF MATERIAL CHANGE AND MIGRATION ON TUTUILA ISLAND, AMERICAN SAMOA A Dissertation by DANIEL RYAN WELCH Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Chair of Committee, Suzanne Eckert Committee Members, Ted Goebel Michael Waters Cristine Morgan Head of Department, Cynthia Werner May 2014 Major Subject: Anthropology Copyright 2014 Daniel Ryan Welch ABSTRACT Recent advances in the archaeology of the Samoan Islands have forced us to reconsider the generally accepted phylogenetic model for the chronology of cultural change in prehistoric Samoa. In this dissertation I use new archaeological evidence from excavations at multi-component sites across the islands of American Samoa to measure the degree to which the archaeological record supports the accepted linguistics-based phylogenetic model for Samoan cultural transformation. Specifically, I focus on multi- component sites to assess the social implications of diachronic change in pottery production, obsidian use and basalt tool manufacture. To expand our understanding of the chronology for cultural change in the Samoan Archipelago I study the chronology of site use and tool production at Vainu’u, ’Aoa, Aganoa and Matautia on Tutuila Island and offer recalibrated radiocarbon dates from To’aga on Ofu Island. The findings from these multi-component sites show that differences in traditions of stone tool production and raw material provisioning accompany the noted cessation of pottery production ca. 1,500-1,700 B.P. Two identifiable forms of technological organization, attributed to the Ceramic Period and Monument Building Period components, are separated in time by several centuries of reduced population density across the study area. Patterning in the chronology of site use and technological change provides support for a cultural hiatus with demographic decline in the Samoan Islands beginning ca. 1,500 B.P. ii DEDICATION To my dear friend Wilson Fitiao iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work would not have been possible without the research support and generosity offered by my advisor, Dr. Suzanne Eckert, thank you. Special thanks to Dr. Ted Goebel for his guidance in my pursuit to understand the intricate nature of lithic technological organization. Additional thanks to Dr. Michael Waters for illustrating the importance of attaining a strong geoarchaeological perspective. I would also like to extend special gratitude to Dr. Cristine Morgan for her expertise and help with soil morphology and interpretation. Thanks to Cindy Hurt and Rebekah Luza for their endless help in logistics, travel safety and funding assistance. I would like to thank each field crew member that worked at Aganoa, Vainu’u, ’Aoa, Matautia and the within the Pava’ia’i Valley. This dissertation would not exist without the perseverance of those that worked alongside me. Endless appreciation to my family and friends for their support and generosity. The research presented in this manuscript was also made possible in part by the National Science Foundation, Wennergren and National Geographic. iv NOMENCLATURE APS Ancestral Polynesian Society CHM Cultural Hiatus Model EEL Early Eastern Lapita LEL Late Eastern Lapita PPW Polynesian Plain ware MBP Monument Building Period B.P. Before Present Cal. B.P. Calendar years before present v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................ii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................. iv NOMENCLATURE ........................................................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. vi LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ xi 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 2 1.1.1 An Interesting Pattern in Samoan Archaeology ............................................ 2 1.1.2 The Consensus Chronology .......................................................................... 5 1.1.3 Who, or Rather What, is Lapita? ................................................................. 14 1.1.4 Lapita Complex Continuum, or the Rise of an Ancestral Polynesian Society? .................................................................................................................... 22 1.2 Questioning the Consensus .................................................................................... 25 1.2.1 Before Hawaiiki, Ancestral Polynesia......................................................... 25 1.2.2 Recent Arguments against an Ancestral Polynesian Society ...................... 29 1.2.3 Rejecting the Dominant Paradigm .............................................................. 32 1.2.4 New Archaeological Assemblages that Do Not Fit the Consensus Model . 35 1.2.5 An Alternative Viewpoint on Ancestral Polynesia ..................................... 38 1.2.6 Framing the Research .................................................................................. 40 1.2.7 Moving Forward .......................................................................................... 43 2. A COMMANDING VIEW OF THE PACIFIC: HIGHLAND USE AS VIEWED FROM VAINU’U, A MULTI-COMPONENT SITE ON TUTUILA ISLAND, AMERICAN SAMOA ..................................................................................................... 48 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 48 2.2 Vainu’u and Its Cultural Setting............................................................................. 51 2.3 Building a Chronology for Vainu’u ....................................................................... 58 2.3.1 Description of Site Stratigraphy .................................................................. 58 2.3.2 Radiocarbon Dates ...................................................................................... 61 vi 2.4 Periodic Use of the Highlands During the Ceramic Period ................................... 68 2.4.1 Component I Material Culture Recovered from Vainu’u ........................... 68 2.5 A Nice View During the Monument Building Period............................................ 79 2.5.1 Component II Material Culture Recovered from Vainu’u .......................... 79 2.6 Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 85 3. TESTING A LATE CHRONOLOGY FOR CERAMIC PERIOD TRADITIONS AT ’AOA, TUTUILA ISLAND AMERICAN SAMOA ................................................. 88 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 89 3.1.1 Geographic and Cultural Setting ................................................................. 92 3.2 Methods and Materials ........................................................................................... 96 3.3 Results .................................................................................................................. 101 3.3.1 Evidence of Landscape Change ................................................................ 101 3.3.2 Radiocarbon Dates .................................................................................... 104 3.3.3 Inter-Site Assessment of Wadell Roundness ............................................ 107 3.4 Discussion ............................................................................................................ 110 3.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 112 4. THE CESSATION OF SAMOAN OBSIDIAN DISTRIBUTION ............................ 114 4.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 114 4.2 Modeling Prehistoric Cultural Change in the Samoan Islands ............................ 118 4.2.1 The Current Consensus ............................................................................. 121 4.2.2 A Revision to the Current Consensus ....................................................... 123 4.2.3 A Challenge to the Consensus: The Cultural Hiatus Model ..................... 124 4.3 Stratigraphic Relationships and Chronology of Use ............................................ 128 4.3.1 Previous Studies of Volcanic Glass Use in Oceania ................................. 129 4.4 Methods ................................................................................................................ 137 4.5 Results .................................................................................................................. 143 4.5.1 To’aga .......................................................................................................