Meigs, Anna

273 Pages·2004·1.83 MB·English

THE SOCIOECONOMICS OF RANK IN LATE PREHISTORIC AND
CONTEMPORARY FIJI: AN EXPLORATION OF ETHNOGRAPHIC AND
ARCHAEOLOGICAL INDICATORS

By

SHARYN JONES O’DAY

A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

2004
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This dissertation would not have been possible without the assistance and
encouragement of many colleagues, friends, and my family. I thank all the people who
made this work possible, but will mention only some of them by name. First and
foremost my thanks go to my PhD committee, Michael Heckenberger, David Steadman,
Elizabeth Wing, and Patrick Kirch. Each of these individuals contributed invaluable
insights and inspiration, and my research and writing benefited immensely from their
input. The excavations and analysis presented in this work were funded by grants to
David Steadman (National Science Foundation) and to me (National Science Foundation
Graduate Research Fellowship). Additional funding was provided to me by the Center
for Women’s Studies and Gender Research at the University of Florida (the Lockhart
Fellowship), and the Department of Anthropology at the University of Florida (the
Fairbanks Scholarship).
The UF Department of Anthropology provided a collegial atmosphere and a
wonderful environment for developing and carryingout this research. In particular I
thank Patrick O’Day, Michael Heckenberger, Heather Walsh-Haney, Sean Connaughton,
Kenneth Sassaman, Russ Bernard, Susan deFrance, Sue Boinski, Meggan Blessing, John
Krigbaum, Pat King, Karen Jones, and LeAnn Martin. Sidsel Millerstrom, Lisa
Kirkendale, Heather Walsh-Haney, Peggy Bernach, John Davis, Jenell Brush, and Darin
Ramirez provided constant support and valuable insights throughout the writing process.
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I also thank David Steadman, Elizabeth Wing, Kitty Emery, and the Florida Museum of
Natural History for support and use of multiple laboratories and comparative collections.
In Fiji, staff from the Fiji Museum assisted in excavations and organizing my
research. I thank Sepeti Matararaba and Jone Naucabalavu for making this fieldwork
possible. Patrick O’Day provided a wealth of support, assistance, and insights during the
process of field and laboratory research. Additional field and laboratory assistance was
provided by Sean Connaughton, Sepeti Matararaba, Tina Bell, Meggan Blessing, Lisa
Kirkendale, and Gustav Paulay. I gratefully acknowledge the late Na Gone Turaga Na
Tui Lau, Tui Nayau Ka Sau ni Vanua ko Lau, The Right Honourable Ratu Sir Kamisese
Mara for allowing me to conduct research on Nayau. I am especially grateful to the
people of Nayau and Lakeba for welcoming and facilitating my research, in addition to
providing me with a wealth of local knowledge and assistance in all forms. Vinaka
vakalevu Jack, Sera, Bola, Akanise, Colati, Rusila, and Nasi.
Finally, I have felt the support and encouragement of the Jones’ at all times; I thank
my family for their help and unwavering belief in me.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS..................................................................................................ii
LIST OF TABLES...........................................................................................................viii
LIST OF FIGURES.............................................................................................................x
ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................xi
CHAPTER
1 THE LAU ISLANDS, FIJI...........................................................................................1
Research Area and Setting............................................................................................1
Environmental Background...................................................................................2
Nayau, Lakeba, and Aiwa.....................................................................................5
Political Organization............................................................................................8
Hierarchy, Status, and Kinship............................................................................12
Division of labor...........................................................................................15
Kinship and exchange systems.....................................................................16
Subsistence..........................................................................................................16
Agriculture...................................................................................................17
Faunal resources...........................................................................................18
Economic Wealth................................................................................................19
History and Lau’s Importance to Anthropological and Archaeological
Research in Oceania.........................................................................................21
Archaeological Research in Lau..........................................................................23

2 RESEARCH GOALS AND METHODS...................................................................25
Goals...........................................................................................................................26
Methods......................................................................................................................32
Zooarchaeological Methods................................................................................36
Estimates of Dietary Contribution.......................................................................37
Dissertation Structure...............................................................................................38\

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3 FOOD AND THE MEANING BEHIND ZOOARCHAEOLOGICAL
REMAINS..................................................................................................................40
Zooarchaeological Approaches to the Past.................................................................41
Zooarchaeology of the Pacific Islands........................................................................43
Alternative Approach to Food and Faunal Studies.....................................................48
Understanding Hierarchy through Food.....................................................................49

4 ETHNOARCHAEOLOGICAL APPROACHES.......................................................53
Processual vs. Postprocessual Approaches to Ethnoarchaeology...............................54
Direct Historical Approach.........................................................................................58
Current Research in Oceania......................................................................................59
Assumptions: Human Behavior, Ideology, Hierarchy, and History...........................61

5 THE PAST: ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA...............................................................65
Site Descriptions.........................................................................................................65
Excavations and Stratigraphy..............................................................................67
Vulaga and Na Masimasi.............................................................................67
Waituruturu East and Waituruturu West......................................................69
Qara ni Lulu.................................................................................................71
Nukutubu Rockshelter 2...............................................................................72
Lovo or Earth Ovens............................................................................................73
Radiocarbon Results............................................................................................74
Material Culture: Pottery and Artifacts...............................................................77
Pottery..........................................................................................................77
Adzes and stone tools...................................................................................79
Shell tools.....................................................................................................81
Zooarchaeological Remains................................................................................83
Fish...............................................................................................................83
Reptiles.........................................................................................................86
Birds.............................................................................................................86
Mammals......................................................................................................88
Invertebrate Fauna...............................................................................................89
Discussion and Conclusions.......................................................................................90
Archaeological Features......................................................................................94
Fish Species Composition...................................................................................95
Fish Bone Element Distribution..........................................................................97
Fauna in a Comparative Perspective...................................................................98
Rotuma.........................................................................................................99
Sigatoka, Viti Levu....................................................................................100
Natanuku, Viti Levu...................................................................................100
Mago, Lau Islands......................................................................................101

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Vanuabalavu, Lau Islands..........................................................................101
Aiwa Levu and Aiwa Lailai: Additional data from Lau............................106
General Archaeological Conclusions................................................................108
Zooarchaeological Conclusions.........................................................................109

6 THE PRESENT: ETHNOGRAPHIC DATA...........................................................111
Domestic Groups......................................................................................................112
Household Spatial Arrangements......................................................................112
Vale ni kuro or kitchens.............................................................................115
Ovens and oven houses..............................................................................120
Interviews.................................................................................................................123
The Lauan “Meal”: Folk Taxonomy of Food....................................................123
Social Dimensions of Food: Meals, Snacks, Place, Time, Household
Distribution....................................................................................................124
Cooking Activities.............................................................................................127
Preparation, cooking, cooking time, age, and gender................................127
Feast preparation vs. normal cooking........................................................127
Food Preference and Individual Consumption Patterns....................................128
Age, Gender, Rank............................................................................................135
Food remains and consumed fishes............................................................137
Relative Proportions of Food Types..................................................................140
Starch vs. meat...........................................................................................140
Fish/ shellfish/chicken/pig/cow/other........................................................141
Imported vs. Local Foods and Consumer Opinions..........................................144
Food Collection.................................................................................................145
Gardening...................................................................................................146
Fishing........................................................................................................147
The outlier..................................................................................................151
Food Refuse and Taphonomy............................................................................153
Fishing Expeditions..................................................................................................155
Division and Distribution of the Catch..............................................................159

7 FOOD IN THE LAU ISLANDS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR
EHTNOARCHAEOLOGY AND ARCHAEOLOGY.............................................178
Major Findings of this Study....................................................................................179
Village, Hierarchy, and Economic Wealth Variation...............................................180
The Lauan “Meal” and Food Preference...........................................................183
Value and Resistance.........................................................................................184
Food Refuse.......................................................................................................185
Identity and Food Providing.....................................................................................186
Learning to Fish.................................................................................................187
Future Research........................................................................................................189
Lovo Features.....................................................................................................190
Spatial Analysis.................................................................................................191
Conclusions...............................................................................................................192
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APPENDIX
A STRUCTURED ETHNOGRAPHIC INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED ON NAYAU,
OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER 2003......................................................................195
B FISHING DATA COLLECTED ON NAYAU, OCTOBER – NOVEMBER
2003..........................................................................................................................227
LIST OF REFERENCES.................................................................................................240
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH...........................................................................................261

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LIST OF TABLES
Table page

5.1 Summary of excavated sites on Nayau, Lau Islands, Fiji........................................68
5.2 Lovo features in test excavations on Nayau, Lau Islands, Fiji.................................74
5.3 AMS radiocarbon dates from Nayau, Lau Islands, Fiji............................................76
5.4 Distribution by count of prehistoric artifact classes by site, Nayau,
Lau Group, Fiji.........................................................................................................78
5.5 Distribution of selected classes of vertebrates (NISP) from excavated sites,
Nayau, Lau Group, Fiji............................................................................................82
5.7 Family-level summary of fish bone from 12 sites on Nayau, Lau Islands, Fiji.......85
5.8 Fish element frequency from identified fish bones, Nayau, Lau Islands, Fiji.........85
5.9 Family level distribution of bird bones (NISP) at six excavated sites, Nayau,
Lau Islands, Fiji........................................................................................................87
5.10 Species level distribution of bird bones (NISP) at five excavated sites, Nayau,
Lau Islands, Fiji........................................................................................................87
5.11 Summary of identified marine shell from excavations of 12 sites on Nayau,
Lau Islands, Fiji........................................................................................................91
5.12 Family level summary of marine shell from 12 sites on Nayau, Lau Group,
Fiji............................................................................................................................92
5.13 Summary of fish bones from Quaranilaca, Lau Islands, Fiji.................................104
5.14 Summary of fish bone elements from Quaranilaca, Lau Islands, Fiji....................105
5.15 Fish vertebral centrum widths (mm) from Aiwa and Nayau excavations, Lau
Islands, Fiji.............................................................................................................108
5.16 Fish element frequency from identified fish bones, Aiwa Levu and Aiwa Lailai,
Lau Islands, Fiji......................................................................................................108
6.1 Lauan terms for food and related items..................................................................118
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6.2 Favorite fishes as indicated in interviews...............................................................130
6.3 Totals for fish bone food remains collected from households in Liku for
1 week....................................................................................................................138
6.4 Fish taxa consumed by households in Liku for 1 week.........................................139
6.5 Lauan staple plant foods: Their sources and uses..................................................141
6.6 Fishing methods and gear.......................................................................................148
6.7 Fishes consumed on Nayau....................................................................................160

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure page

1.1 Map of the Fiji Islands with the research area indicated in the square......................3
1.2 Map of Nayau, Lau Islands, Fiji.................................................................................7
5.1 Map of Nayau showing archaeological sites............................................................66
5.2 Stratigraphic profile of Waituruturu wall.................................................................70
5.3 Stratigraphic profile of Qara ni lulu wall.................................................................71
5.4 Stratigraphic profile of Nukutubu Rockshelter 2 wall.............................................72
5.5 Family level summary of fish bones from 12 sites on Nayau, Fiji..........................96
5.6 Family level summary of fish bones from Qaranilaca, Lau Islands, Fiji...............103
5.7 Family level summary of fish bones from Aiwa Levu and Aiwa Lailai,
Lau Islands, Fiji......................................................................................................107
6.2 Modern style rectangular concrete house on Nayau, Lau Islands, Fiji..................167
6.3 Oval shaped thatch house on Nayau, Lau Islands, Fiji..........................................168
6.4 Tui Liku’s house, Liku Village, Nayau, Lau Islands, Fiji......................................169
6.5 Generalized Lauan house plan...............................................................................170
6.6 Traditional style Lauan kitchen, Liku Village, Nayau, Lau Islands, Fiji...............171
6.7 Sheet metal kitchen, Narocivo Village, Nayau, Lau Islands, Fiji..........................172
6.8 Lovo located next to a kitchen, Tubou Village, Lakeba, Lau Islands, Fiji.............173
6.9 Oven house with arrow indicating lovo, Liku Village, Nayau,
Lau Islands, Fiji......................................................................................................174
6.10 Trash burning pit located near a house in Salia, Nayau, Lau Islands, Fiji.............175
6.11 People dividing up the catch after fishing..............................................................176
6.12 Women from Salia, snacking on the beach after fishing........................................177
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