Hard evidence for prehistoric interaction in Polynesia

Author:

Weisler, Marshall I.

Title:

Hard evidence for prehistoric interaction in Polynesia

Periodical:

Current Anthropology

Year:

1998

Volume:

39

Pages:

p.521-532

Subject:

Adze Polynesia

Summary:

Two centuries ago, Capt. James Cook, a renowned explorer was stuck by the similarity in language and physical appearance of the "Indians" that inhabited the widely spaced archipelagoes of Polynesia. This study has demonstrated the efficacy of geochemical sourcing studies in general and the wave-length dispersive x-ray fluorescence (WDXTF) technique that was used specifically to determine the scale and timing of interactions throughout Polynesia. This study was done on the largest known fine-grained basalt source in the Marquesas (on Eiao Island) and three adzes transferred to the distant archipelagoes of Mangareva and the Society Islands.

Label:

Archaeology

URL:

https://doi.org/10.1086/204768

Date:

Aug. - Oct., 1998 -

Collection:

Periodicals