A biocultural perspective on Marianas prehistory: Recent trends in bioarchaeological research

Abstract

Fifteen years ago, the biohistory of Micronesia was still a blank slate relative to other regions of the Pacific. Since 1980, however, the Mariana Islands, one of the largest island chains in Micronesia, have been the focus of intensive archaeological investigation and human remains have been ubiquitous components of the archaeological assemblages recovered from the islands of Guam, Rota, Tinian, and Saipan. These investigations have provided us with a wealth of new data that will contribute substantially to our understanding of population adaptation to island ecosystems in this part of the Pacific. Much of the recent bioarchaeological research in the Marianas is the product of archaeological mitigation rather than directed research. Consequently, many of our research efforts have been articulated with the needs of cultural resource management (CRM) where research designs focus on several general problem areas: 1) subsistence adaptation with emphasis on the contribution of marine vs. terrestrial resources and the role of pelagic, or deep-ocean resources in the marine component of the diet; 2) regional (upland vs. coastal; interisland) and temporal variation in subsistence/settlement; and 3) geomorphologic variation in coastal sediments, particularly as influenced by storm events.

From limestone caves to concrete graves: 3000 years of mortuary practice in the Palauan archipelago, Micronesia

“…Other locations in the Marianas continue the tradition of near-shore beach burials, but sites such as Achugao and Matansa on Saipan (Hanson, 1995) and the Uyulan area of Rota (Hanson, 1988;Craib, 1998), derive from the Transitional pre-Latte and pre-Latte periods dating to AD 1 and later. The only other large cemeteries found in Micronesia are from Guam and are associated with the late prehistoric Latte period, post-dating Orrak by 1000-2000 years (Hanson & Butler, 1997;Douglas et al, 1997). 1 Caves used as burial chambers like those found at Sngall Ridge, Ngermereues Ridge, and on Orrak Island comprise a second simple, early mortuary pattern.…”

Stable isotopic analysis of prehistoric human diet in the Mariana Islands, western Pacific

“…There was a significant increase in population sometime after AD 500 with dramatic increases after AD 1000, during the late prehistoric or Latte period, AD 1000 -1521 (Moore 1988;Hanson and Butler 1997). The majority of prehistoric settlement sites are located along the coast or in adjacent inland areas.…”

Fijian cannibalism and mortuary ritual: bioarchaeological evidence from Vunda

“…Thus, while it seems unlikely that the majority of the fragmentation was caused by sediment pressure, it is not currently possible to more finely characterize its potential contribution to bone breakage. Notable in situ decay of skeletal remains has been observed in coastal environments (Hanson & Butler, 1997), so it is possible that natural decay contributed to the fragmentation in the Vunda sample. However, relatively few bones in the sample have incipient fracture cracks and most have weathered very little, suggesting that natural decay was not a major cause of breakage.…”