An evaluation of central-place foraging among mollusk gatherers in Western Kiribati, Micronesia: Linking behavioral ecology with ethnoarchaeology

Abstract

Contemporary observations of marine foraging in a variety of settings suggest that some mollusks tend to be over-represented in middens because of differential preservation relative to other mollusk species as well as other organisms. Ethnoarchaeologists have often relied on the 'typical' pattern of shell-midden disposal for interpreting variation in assemblage composition in the past. This stems from describing and explaining the material consequences of behavior rather than understanding behavior itself. Behavioral ecology with its concern for the variable costs and bene ts in decisions about culling activities and transport of prey types promises to improve the quality of behavioral inferences. This paper examines the relationship between two foraging models, prey choice and central-place, among intertidal/shallow subtidal mollusk gatherers in Western Kiribati, Micronesia, and a comparison is made with similar work previously carried out in the Torres Strait, Australia. Results show that decisions about mollusk culling and transport can be predicted by prey attributes within a cost/bene t framework. The research also highlights unanticipated variability and may contribute to the debate on indigenous conservation of resources.

Historical Ecology in Kiribati: Linking Past with Present

“…Much of that work, as elsewhere in Kiribati, focused on culture history and the typological approach. Radiocarbon dating on Nikunau (southern Gilberts) suggests initial occupation about 2,000 years ago, consistent with the earliest dates for the neighboring Marshall Islands to the north (Riley 1987, Shun and Athens 1990, Di Piazza 1999, Weisler 1999a, 2001b. It should be noted that there are controversial dates from Bikini Atoll in the northern Marshalls, the site of nuclear testing during the 1940s and 1950s, that suggest settlement occurred contemporaneously with the Lapita expansion into the Southwest Pacific before @800 B.C.…”

“…A number of reports have subsequently appeared in the Atoll Research Bulletin and other publications mainly focusing on physical geography and natural history of the three archipelagoes but also including important human/environment studies such as Thaman's (1990) description of agroforestry and several reports on the state of marine resources (Beets 2001, Johannes and Yeeting 2001, Paulay 2001, Tebano and Paulay 2001, Thomas 2001a, 2003a. The Tarawa Lagoon Project, a major interdisciplinary environmental assessment survey (Abbott and Garcia 1995), has greatly contributed to our understanding of recent human impact on marine ecosystems on the main atoll.…”

“…Although still regarded by some observers as one of the most traditional areas of Micronesia, Kiribati has witnessed accelerated environmental and social changes in the decades following independence from Great Britain in 1979 (World Bank 2000, Thomas 2003b). These changes might have gone unnoticed by the rest of the world were it not for media attention on the effects of rising sea levels attributable to global warming and the publicity surrounding the millennium celebrations on remote Caroline Island in the southern Line Group, renamed Millennium Island for the occasion.…”

“…Since 1993, I have conducted a series of ecological projects primarily focusing on contemporary marine resources exploitation but also covering traditional tenure systems and agricultural production (Thomas 2001b(Thomas , 2002b(Thomas , 2003c. Attempts to understand human/environment relations on some of the Gilbert atolls in the more distant past used ethnoarchaeological data combined with approaches from human behavioral ecology, and direct assessment of indigenous archaeological sites (Thomas 2002a, 2007a,b, Thomas and Teaero 2009).…”

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“…in modern societies where shellfishing is conducted at a domestic nonindustrial scale, women and children are the most active shellfish gatherers (Meehan, 1982;Waselkov, 1987: 96-99;Claassen, 1998: 175-182;Klein, 1999;Bird and Bliege bird, 2000). ethnographic studies have repeatedly documented such age and gender disparities in foraging and collecting emphasis, with important dietary implications (particularly in protein and fat contributions to diet) for segments of society with limited access to hunted sources of meat (bigalke, 1973;Meehan, 1982;de Boer, Pereira, and Guissamule, 2000;Thomas, 2002;Bird, Bliege Bird, and Richardson, 2004;cf. Voorhies, 2004: 129-141, for a nondomestic example).…”