Interisland and interarchipelago transfer of stone tools in prehistoric Polynesia

Author:

Weisler, Marshall I., Kirch, Patrick V.

Title:

Interisland and interarchipelago transfer of stone tools in prehistoric Polynesia

Periodical:

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Year:

1996

Volume:

93

Pages:

p. 1381-1385

Subject:

Archaeology Pacific Islands Adzes Polynesia Exchange systems

Summary:

This document describes the prehistoric transfer of basalt adzes between a major quarry site on Tutuila Island in American Samoa and two areas that are located in the Cook Islands. These two receiving localities are the Manua group that is located in American Samoa and Mangaia Island that is located the Cook Islands that are located approximately 100 - 1600 kilometers, respectively, apart in distance from Tutuila Island. These findings are of considerable significance for Polynesian prehistory, in that they demonstrate the movement of objects not only between islands in the same group (where communities were culturally and linguistically related) but also between distant island groups.

Label:

Archaeology

URL:

http://www.pnas.org/content/93/4/1381.full.pdf

Date:

February 1996

Collection:

Periodicals