• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Form No. 10-3003 (hev. 10-741 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OE THE INTERIOR FOR NPS USE ONLY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE RECEIVED NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM DATE ENTERED _________ ■________ CONTINUATION SHEET________________________ ITEM NUMBER PAGE Appendix-1_______ __ Appendix A. Kaho'olawe Survey Background Information This brief introduction to the archaeology of Kaho'olawe is included with each site form to demonstrate the significance of each individual site within the context of the unique archaeological pattern of the whole island. Kaho'olawe is the smallest of the eight major islands of the Hawaiian group, its 45 square miles constituting about 0.77% of the land area of the state. The summit of the island is 1477 feet. Lua Makika and the low topography and its position in the lee of eastern Maui combine to limit the orographic rain, making Kaho'olawe the most arid of the main islands. Mean annual rainfall is about 25 inches at Lua Makika and 10 to 15 inches at the coast. Erosion has reduced large sections of the interior upland of Kaho'olawe to barren saprolitic hardpan. The west end of the island slopes gently down to the ocean. The low sea cliffs of the northwest coast are bro­ ken at intervals by 15 major gulches and several minor ones, most of which originate near the east-west centerline of the island. Sheer 300 feet to 800 feet cliffs form most of the remaining half of the coastline. The biotic community has changed significantly in the two centuries since Western Contact was established during Captain Cook's third vo­ yage (1778-79). Today the dominant flora are the introduced kiawe tree (Prosopis pallida„ a close relative of mesquite) and various grasses in- cluding the native pili (Heteropogon contortus). Feral goats, probably introduced to the island before 1850, have contributed significantly to the severe erosion of the island. From 1941 to 1968, the U.S. Navy made use of the entire island as a tar­ get range. Since 1968 bombardment has been limited to the central sec­ tion, comprising about one-third of the island. Within this target zone are 20 targets for ship-to-shore bombardment (the "S-" or "Sierra" tar­ gets) and 17 for aerial bombardment (the "A-" or "Alfa" targets). The pre-Contact Hawaiian oral traditions include accounts of two-way voyages led by illustrious chiefs between Hawaii and the Society Islands The era of these voyages is often referred to as the "Migratory Period". Though these oral traditions do not include a chronology in years, appro­ ximate A.D. dates can be assigned by a count of generations. Using 20 years as the average length of a chiefly generation, the "Migratory Period” ended about A.D. 1400. Accorldlng to David Malo, a Hawaiian 1 Form No. 10-300a (Rev 10-74) U NITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FOR NPS USE ONLY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE RECEIVED NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM DATE ENTERED CONTI NUATION SHEET_____ _________ ITEM NUMBER #7____ PAGE Appendix-2___________ scholar of the early 19th century, Kila, a chief of the late Migratory Period " ...sailed on an expedition to Tahiti, taking his departure, it is said, from the western point of Kaho'olawe, for which reason that cape is to this day called Ke-ala-i-kahiki (the route to Tahiti)." (Malo, 1951, p. 7) Kealaikahiki point and Kealaikahiki channel to the northwest are named in several other legendary accounts of similar voyages by chiefs who were approximate contemporaries of Kila. Traditions of the succeeding centuries, however, seldom mention Kaho'olawe, since it seems to have lacked the powerful chiefs (ali' i) for and about whom most oral traditions were composed. The pre-Contact population of Kaho'olawe was probably never more than 1000, and undoubtedly was much smaller at times. However, archaeological evidence presently available indicates an ancient population density and an intensity of land-use similar to that of Lana'i or similar dry sections of other main islands. When considered separately, the archaeological value of individual Kaho'olawe sites varies considerably with size, condition, complexity, uniqueness and other factors. As elements in an island-wide pattern reflecting an ancient cultural pattern and its history, they constitute a unique cultural resource in Hawaii. In part the value of the Kaho'olawe archaeological resources is associated with the concept of ahupua'a, the community level socio-economic unit of ancient Hawaii. In general, the Hawaiian settlement pattern did not include villages though there was a tendency for population to be clustered near the coast. The ahupua' a, a long narrow land section extending from the coast into the central uplands of an island, was the functional equivalent of a village. Whether the ahupua'a included a valley or an undissected expanse of sloping land, the variations in physiography, geology, eleva­ tion and rainfall throughout its length formed a series of microenviron­ ments supporting a variety of food resources and other necessities. While the number of ahupua'a on Kaho'olawe is unknown, all archaeological data thus far collected indicate that the economic pattern paralleled that of the ahupua1 a on the other islands. For example, numerous arti­ facts pertaining to marine exploitation have been found at interior sites. Also, evidence of relatively high population density at the coast, especially in the mouths of gulches, where large-scale agriculture is limited by adverse conditions (including low rainfall) seems to correlate with evidence of large-scale agriculture and lower population density in Form No 10 -300a (Rev 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FOR NPS USE ONLY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE RECEIVED NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY ~ NOMINATION FORM DATE ENTERED CO N TIN U ATIO N SHEET ITEM NUMBER # 7 PAGE Appendix-3 inland areas. The tentative conclusion drawn from these data is that sites in coastal and inland zones evidence two components of a single community-level economic pattern. Thus the function and significance of each archaeological site on Kaho'olawe must be considered as an element in a larger settlement pattern. It should be noted that the lack of verified data concerning the boundaries of the ancient land divisions of Kaho'olawe as well as the fact that the survey of the island is presently ongoing, has prevented the division of the island into major archaeological districts for the purpose of regis­ tration. The boundaries of the archaeological site described here are determined by clustering of archaeological features and inferred function­ al relationships rather than known or surmised ancient land units. Thus, each site represents a small element of either the inland or the coastal component of the overall settlement pattern. The body of archaeological data resulting from the present study of Kaho'olawe is unique in Hawaii in part because no other total island has been the subject of an intensive survey. More significant, however, is the fact that the degree of preservation is greater on this island than on any other, since urban and.agricultural development has seriously depleted the archaeological resources elsewhere. (The possible exception to this statement is Ni'ihau, about the archaeology of which little is known.) Moreover, the extreme erosion of the interior of Kaho'olawe allows the investigation of a component that is rarely detectable else­ where in Hawaii. Most of the inland sites consist of localized clusters of midden and artifactual material that have been deposited on the sapro- litic hardpan as the soil matrix has eroded away. In many cases a small grass-covered hill or hummock of intact cultural deposit remains near the center of the site. Uneroded, nearly all of these sites could be obscured by only a few centimeters of accumulated earth, since few include substantial stone structures that would protrude from the covering soil. Certainly archaeological analysis of the sites is impaired by the removal of archaeological context. Yet initial studies show that while vertical deposition data are lost, horizontal displacement of remains has been relatively minor. If we add to this the significance of large-scale settlement pattern that would otherwise have been undetectable, as well as the ease of near-total recovery of stone artifacts from eroded sites as well as the probability that some inland sites remain intact in patches of remaining topsoil, it is clear that the Kaho'olawe inland sites constitute a valuable component of the archaeological resources of the island. CONTINUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER #7 p ag e Appendix-4 Clearly the value of each individual site on Kaho'olawe derives substan­ tially from its situation within this unique archaeological pattern. The spatial aspect of this islandwide pattern have been described briefly above. As the survey progresses, chronological relationships are also being studied through the surface collection and hydration-rind analysis of artifacts of basaltic glass, a substance similar to obsidian. Pre­ liminary results, based on the analysis of more than 200 samples can be summarized as follows: Coastal occupation began by about A.D. 1150 and the coast was well-populated by the mid 14th century. Large-scale popula­ tion seems to have begun around 1400, Thus far, the latest dates from the island are from the first half of the 17th century. Though this summary is subject to revision as more data are collected it is signifi­ cant that it is very similar to a preliminary sequence developed on the basis of dated sites on western Hawaii island; Halawa valley, Moloka'i and several areas on O'ahu. The Kaho'olawe sequence, when considered with data from the rest of the state has allowed the development, refinement, revision and preliminary testing of a number of hypotheses incorporating demographic, geological, metrological, botanical as well as archaeological data.

Load more

  88

Copy Link