Traditional Marquesan Agriculture and Subsistence: Ownership, Division of Labor, Feasting, Drought/Famine, and Fishing/Canoe- Travel
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Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation Volume 21 Issue 2 October Article 5 2007 Traditional Marquesan agriculture and subsistence: Ownership, division of labor, feasting, drought/famine, and fishing/canoe- travel. Part III of IV David J. Addison American Samoa Community College Follow this and additional works at: https://kahualike.manoa.hawaii.edu/rnj Part of the History of the Pacific Islands Commons, and the Pacific Islands Languages and Societies Commons Recommended Citation Addison, David J. (2007) "Traditional Marquesan agriculture and subsistence: Ownership, division of labor, feasting, drought/famine, and fishing/canoe-travel. Part III of IV," Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation: Vol. 21 : Iss. 2 , Article 5. Available at: https://kahualike.manoa.hawaii.edu/rnj/vol21/iss2/5 This Research Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Hawai`i Press at Kahualike. It has been accepted for inclusion in Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation by an authorized editor of Kahualike. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Addison: Traditional Marquesan agriculture and subsistence Traditional Marquesan agriculture and subsistence: Ownership, division of labor, feasting, drought/famine, and fishing/canoe-travel. Part III of IV David J Addison Samoa Studies Institute, American Samoa Community College, Pago Pago, AS 96799 L D D TREE OW ERSHIP D LABOR "[ca. 1800] I was well situated. My family lived on their own plantation, and I had a large one of my own that I had purchased. My ervants took autain (1897:541) noted that not everyone was a land owner. Only the "the chiefly families (Papa Hakaiki) care of it and one that I took possession of, as the T family that it belonged to was al dead. I had a and those of the 'Akalia or 'Analia) had this right." A gar right to it, as ] took possession first after the de den might have a different owner than the land it was on, cease of the family. No one dared dispute my even to the extent of breadfruit trees with owners for each right. 1 was their head in war. I headed them in branch (Tautain 1897:541). war against In the Marque HO'O'O"W their enemies sa, trees and land and was at apparently could be owned separately.2 Hatuta'a : Motu One every battle in the heat of it. Crook (1952:cxv) Eiao'~ But to lift my writes that "The hand against my Property, consisting relations I could of Ground and the Motu Iti. never consent tree which it pro 'Ua Huka to." (Robart duce i accurately Nuku Hlva .. 1974: 153). known by the owner Vaipaa'a But that, "Property, in land, or HaKaotu -. 'Ua Pou . Fatu Huku Thorn on (Craig tree, altho' accu- 1980:26) write [ca. ~ Hiva'Oa rately known by the '" '" 1840]: "When land i owner, is exposed to ~ Tahuata , '- Mohotane g transferred by mar the encroachment of ~ ~ riage, (or rather by 50 100 Kilometers powerful superi- '----'-,_----" the temporary union or" (Crook • Fatu Iva of the partie ) a fea t is given for the whole 1952:cxxxvii). Ro 1<O'O'O"W barts (1974:271) also valley, and con i ts Figure 1. A map ofthe Marquesas Islands. comments on land of pigs, breadfruit, disputes and adoption: " ... in ca e ofa Quarrell in the same popoi, etc." tribe, families thu united all Keep on one side and protect Inheritance one another from being di inherited, a is very often the Robarts comments on the inheritance of land and tree: ca e thro a powerfull, churli h neighbor." Crook (l952:cxxxvii-cxxxviii) thought that "The "It is to [be] ob erved that [in the case of] A man Ridge between the Vallie, being productive of little el e being possessed of land, and [who] has everal than reed , are not di tributed into private property; but children, the eldest son and daughter get the some kind of claim is laid to them by the ruling Chiefs of greatest share of land, and the others in propor the adjacent Vallies." tion. When a man ha a mall lot of land, the Kiatonui gave a plantation to hi sister to keep her children gets trees, to one a few, to one a few, to alive during a famine. Later on Robarts married her another [a few]." (Robart 1974:267) (Robarts 1974:123): I Southern Marque an 'Anati 'a and the northern 'akati 'a are cognate. Cf. Proto Central East Polyne ian fLangatila. 2 In spite ofa century of French-inspired land tenure, ve tige ofthi remain; I have witnessed on uku Hiva vehement arguments about ownership and use rights ofspecific trees. Rapa Nui Journal III Vol. 21 (2) October 2007 Published by Kahualike, 2007 1 Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation, Vol. 21 [2007], Iss. 2, Art. 5 And that "a oon a [it is] born, the lands for the Landowner could demand food from tenants: childs inheritance is pointed out" (Robarts 1974:270). Likely u ing information obtained from Robarts, "[ca. 1800] 0 chieftain can force a tribute from Langsdorff write that: anyone excepting tho e on hi private e tate, unle they chu e to give it. When a Chieftain i "Every child from the moment of it birth inher mild and generous among hi ubject, he gain it from it parents at lea t one bread-fruit tree, the love and e teem of hi people and in times of and thi tree i tabooed even to the father and plenty Keeps hi Altar well upplied with food, mother. If the parents are so poor that they have fi h and, at times a large Hog is roa ted. This i not a tree to ettle upon the child, one is planted open to the petty Chiefs and warners. By this for it immediately by thi mean a provision is mean he ecure their attachment, but if he is made for the maintenance of the child, ince one selfi h and pre ing his people, they frequently or two bread-fruit trees is ufficient to upport a revolt again t him and, in the end, him and hi man the whole year round." (Lang dorff 1813: family are drove from their Inheri 135) tance." (Robarts 1974:266) Labor Langsdorff, on the power ofchiefs, writes that they had little, and definitely not beyond their valleys: 'Akati 'a/'anati 'a and kikino When Europeans arrived, Marquesan society was "This chief, the king of the valley a he i to be broadly divided into those who owned land - 'akati 'a - and called, is in posse sion, and probably the heredi those who did not - kikino. These grouping appear to have tary heir to several groves of bread-fruit, cocoa been defined on the ba is of land ownership alone. The nut and banana trees, and a uch i capable of 'akati 'a included the haka'iki (chiefs), toa (war leader ), feeding a number of persons; they probably, for tau 'a (in pirational prie ts or shaman) and the various this rea on, consider them elve a under hi tuhuka ( peciali t rook describes 'akati 'a lifestyle: l protection, yet every one still remain hi own judge. The intercourse of the i lander one "[ca. 1798] Person who live on the pontaneou among the other i regulated principally by the produce of their Grounds, which i made ready taboo ." (Langsdorff 1813:131) for their food by servants, can of cour e have little tated employment. The Men, a ociating Li ian ky (1814:80) relates that Robarts said of little with the Women, rise with the Day, and go "king" that, "In a fruitful sea on, they have a right to a to the Tabbu hou e ..." (Crook 1952:cxxxiv) fourth part ofthe produce ofthe land of their ubject ; and in other seasons, an apportionment according to circum And the ituation ofpo 'i kikino: stances." And, "There are rich and poor here. The rich have plantation, houses, and canoes; the poor have nothing, and "Servant, although free to quit the familie with pa s their day like others of the same tation in the rest of which they have lived, Occupants of Ground, the world" (Lisiansky 1814:84). and other dependants, are liable to be killed by the chief proprietor, if he findes them taking fruit Porter found that Kiatonui (haka 'iki ofTaioha 'e) con· etc. which they were forbidden to share." (Crook trolled quite a deal of production: 1952:cxxxvii) "[1813] Gattanewa owns much land, and his Robarts adds: tenants pay him in kind. When presents are to be made, he called upon them for his due in hog , " ... the Inhabitants lives up the different vallies, cocoa-nut, banana, or bread-fruit; other land every one on hi own lott of land. [There are] owners follow his example, the contributor a others who ha e lost their lands in quarrels; for semble before his house, one with two or more the weake t i hure to loose. The people Ii e on coconuts, a bunch of banana , one or two bread the land of great men to watch the Bread fruit, fruit, a hog, a talk of sugar-cane, or a root of the Coco nut, Plantain and cloth tree and are al tarra. When all are collected, Gattanewa hi son, ways ready to Join their Patron in ca e of a quar or grand on, takes the lead, and they march in rel with any other party." (Robarts 1974:253) one line for the camp, to the number of two or three hundred." (Porter 1970:64) Robarts notes that chief could be depo ed and would go with their familie in canoe to seek new land.