Sommaire • Contents • Contenidos Asociación Internacional de Arqueología del Caribe del Arqueología de Internacional Asociación Session - Sessíon 03 Interaction Spheres Migration and Adaptation International Association for Caribbean Archaeology Archaeology Caribbean for Association International Association Internationale d’Archéologie de la Caraïbe Caraïbe la de d’Archéologie Internationale Association 103 Sommaire • Contents • Contenidos A tale of two archipelagoes : The first stage of full horticulturalist colonization in Oceania and the Caribbean Arie Boomert - Faculty of Archaeology Leiden University, The Netherlands [email protected] Abstract This paper investigates the hypothesis that the first fully horticulturalist settlers who moved into the Caribbean and Oceania were confronted with comparable situations and challenges related to the archipelagic setting of both regions. Accordingly, the characteristics, staging and hypothesized causes of the migrations of the peoples of the Lapita complex into Melanesia and West Polynesia (1800-100 cal BC) and those of the Saladoid series into the West Indies (350 cal BC to cal AD 300) are discussed. Besides, the correlation of the movements of the migrants in both archipelagoes with the spread of two specific major linguistic families, Austronesian and Arawakan, is analysed. It is concluded that most likely the combination of the search for abiotic and biotic resources coupled with social incentives formed the stimuli for the horticulturalist wanderings in both archipelagoes Résumé Ce document étudie l’hypothèse que les premiers colons de horticulteurs qui ont emménagé dans le Caraïbe et l’Océanie ont été confrontée avec des situations comparables et des défis liés à l'arrangement archipelagic des deux régions. En conséquence, les caractéristiques, l’échafaudage et les causes présumées des migrations des peuples du complexe de Lapita dans la Mélanésie et Polynésie occidental (1800 à 100 avant J.C.) et ceux de la série de Saladoid dans les Antilles (350 avant J.C. à 300 après J.C.) sont discutés. En outre, la corrélation des mouvements des migrants dans les deux archipels avec la diffusion des deux familles linguistiques importantes spécifiques, Austronesian et Arawakan, est analysée. On le conclut que très probablement la combinaison de la recherche des ressources abiotiques et biotiques couplées avec des incitations sociales a formé les stimulus pour le mouvement de horticulteurs dans les deux archipels Resumen Este papel investiga la hipótesis de que los primeros pobladores horticultores que se mundaron en el Caribe y la Oceanía fueron enfrentados con situaciones comparables y desafíos relacionados con el ajuste archipelágico de ambas regiones. Por consiguiente, las características, el estacionamiento y las causas presumidas de las migraciones de la gente del complejo de Lapita en Melanesia y Polinesia del oeste (1800-100 a.C.) y las de la serie de Saladoid en las Antillas (350 a.C. al 300 d.C.) se discuten. Además, la correlación de los movimientos de los migrantes en ambos archipiélagos con la extensión de las dos familias lingüísticas específicas importantes, Austronesian y Arawakan, se analiza. Se concluye que muy probablemente la combinación de la búsqueda para los recursos abióticos y bióticos juntados con incentivos sociales formó los estímulos para el movimiento de los horticultores en ambos archipiélagos. 104 Actes du 24e congrès de l’AIAC - 2011 Arie Boomert Introduction At a particular stage in their prehistoric past the first waves of forms of movement: hunting or fishing trips, seasonal rounds, indigenous horticulturalist peoples moved into two of the major commuter activities, transhumance, expeditions for exchange tropical island realms of the world, the Caribbean and Oceania. or war, etc. Because of their temporary character these cannot Because of the archipelagic setting, these colonizing groups, which be called migrations. Moreover, migrational human behaviour can be assumed to have shown similar modes of subsistence and is typically performed by defined societal subgroups, oriented comparable levels of sociopolitical integration, were confronted to specific goals, targeted on known destinations, and likely to with to a certain extent identical situations and challenges and, proceed along familiar routes. consequently, it can be hypothesized that the characteristics, Bypassing it may be noted that migration as an archaeological staging and presumed causes of their migrations and forms of model explaining cultural change is on the way of strong recovery adaptation to the archipelagic environment they encountered show from a period of serious rejection which started in the highdays significant similarities. This paper investigates these presumed of the New Archaeology. Indeed, the school of processional correspondences by juxtaposing these movements, i.e. that of the archaeology put emphasis on internal forces of social, economic Lapita complex into Melanesia and West Polynesia (1800-100 cal and cultural development and eschewed invoking what were BC) and that of the Saladoid series into the Caribbean (350 cal BC to called external causes such as migration as the motor of observed cal AD 300), keeping in mind that neither archipelago was entirely features of change. Although archaeological theory has long passed virgin territory at the time of the full horticulturalist (‘Neolithic’) this paradigmatic stage and embraced post-processionalism, colonization. The avenue adopted here to approach this research the old attitude of anti-migrationism is still quite alive at least in problem is to combine anthropological theory on migrations in Europe although there are signs that even here things are changing general with the archaeological evidence and relevant knowledge (Burmeister 2000; Hakenbeck 2008). This reversal of attitudes regarding the historical linguistics of both archipelagoes. Research was signaled in a classic paper by Anthony (1990) who, admitting into ancient genetics may also contribute to the picture, although that the traditional approaches to migration fell short because this is not very well advanced, neither in Oceania nor in the they lacked a methodology to understand the general structure Caribbean. of migration as a form of patterned human behavior, accused the More specifically, the part of Oceania under discussion includes processional archaeologists of throwing away the baby with the Melanesia and West Polynesia, actually the region between the bathwater (also Anthony 1997; Chapman and Hamerow 1997). Admirality Islands and Samoa, a distance of 4800 km as the crow It may be added that in the South American tropical lowlands flies. It should be kept in mind that the distance between the former long-distance Amerindian movements are well attested by coast of Venezuela and Puerto Rico where the Saladoid movement ethnohistorical accounts and archaeology. ended, is only slightly more than one fifth of this, some 900 km. Their geographical configuration is another difference between both archipelagoes. The Caribbean typically consists of a series of The pre-Lapita settlement of Melanesia stepping-stone islands, most of which are intervisible, with only The portion of Oceania under discussion here is the island realm of a few ocean gaps in the portion of the region under discussion, Melanesia, or ‘Near Oceania’, which shows a series of intervisible including one of 135 km which separates Grenada from the chains of large to relatively small islands stretching from New Venezuelan coast and Trinidad, and the similarly wide Anegada Guinea to the east, as far as the 350-km ocean gap between the Passage between Anguilla and the Virgin Islands. Besides, the Solomon Islands and the Reef/Santa Cruz archipelago. Together configuration of the West Indies as an archipelago consisting of a with Vanuatu (New Hebrides) and New Caledonia the Reef/Santa string of increasingly smaller islands, the Lesser Antilles, stretching Cruz archipelago forms the westernmost island group of ‘Remote from the mainland to the north and northwest, and extending into Oceania’. These islands are separated by a stretch of 850 km a group of large-sized islands, the Greater Antilles, is quite the open ocean from Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, together known as West reverse of the situation in Oceania. Polynesia. Still further to the east the islands of Oceania become Regarding the matter of human migration in general, it should be increasingly smaller, showing depauperate habitats with only birds obvious from the outset that the horticulturalist migrations into and bats, and are farther removed from each other. Rapa Nui (Easter both archipelagoes have to be seen as processes, not as single Island) is the easternmost island of Oceania, situated at a distance events. Indeed, anthropological investigation into migrations in of some 12,000 km from the Admiralty Islands and the Bismarck general shows that these represent multilayered and complex archipelago. As to size, it should be kept in mind that New Britain, processes encompassing a few to many persons which tend to the most extended island of Melanesia (35,000 km2), is half as proceed in somewhat predictable ways and involve long-term large as Hispaniola (76,500 km2) and almost four times Puerto residential relocation by a number of discrete social units (Curet Rico (9000 km2). Environmentally most islands of Melanesia and 2005:27-61; Kearney 1986). Long-term is the keyword here as, of West Polynesia are continental in character, showing