Cultural Modifications in an Adolescent Earth-Oven Interment from Fiji: Sorting out Mortuary Practice

Identification of the first reported Lapita cremation in the Pacific Islands using archaeological, forensic and contemporary burning evidence

“…These include burning, cut marks, percussion pits, peeling, peri mortem fractures, anvil abrasions, an under-representation of vertebrae, similarities between other butchered fauna at the site, and dissimilarities of element representation compared with contemporary burials (Cá ceres et al, 2007;Cochrane et al, 2004;Degusta, 1999Degusta, , 2000Hurlbut, 2000;White, 1992). However, because of the difference in cooking methods and consumption preferences in the Pacific compared with other regions of the world the criteria of anvil abrasions and an under-representation of vertebrae may not be relevant for these remains (Pietrusewsky et al, 2007).…”

“…There was no evidence of in situ combustion such as a layer of ash or charcoal and nothing to suggest the scoop was the remains an earth-oven feature (cf. Pietrusewsky et al, 2007). Some of the human bones such as the right shoulder (humerus and scapula) were in close proximity within the scoop feature suggesting they may have been in articulation in situ (Fig.…”

“…(2) Cannibalism Human modification of bone typically associated with cannibalism such as cut marks, percussion pits, peeling, peri mortem trauma, similarities between butchered fauna at the site, and faunal material and cooking refuse with burnt remains have been used to test hypotheses of possible cannibalism in the Pacific (Degusta, 1999(Degusta, , 2000Pietrusewsky et al, 2007). Burning alone does not imply cannibalism and the absence of the majority of these modifications and the element representation of Burial 26 suggests that cannibalism was not responsible for the body treatment and secondary deposition of the bone into the scoop feature.…”

Dietary change in Fijian prehistory: isotopic analyses of human and animal skeletal material

“…If cannibalized individuals were typically from ''other'' populations (perhaps from Viti Levu or another island in the Yasawas), it is not unreasonable that they would have different diets from the local Waya population (cf. Cochrane et al, 2004;Pietrusewsky et al, 2007). The other samples from Olo are perhaps representative of that local Waya Island population.…”

Building bridges in anthropology [electronic resource] : understanding, acting, teaching, and theorizing

“…While no such standardized list exists in the literature, she found several features that are commonly mentioned in both archaeological and ethnographic sources. These criteria include scoop and roughly circular shape, ash and charcoal in the sediment (sometimes layered), abundance of fire-cracked rock (FCR), and copious amounts of bone, shell, and pottery fragments (Carson 2002;Jones 2009aJones , 2007Pietrusewsky et al 2007;Steadman, Anton, and Kirch 2000). It should be noted, however, that these are general and very broad criteria that may differ on a case-by-case basis.…”