Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: The Evolution of Competitive Settlement Strategies in Fijian Prehistory

University Of Hawaii, Honolulu

Investigators

Abstract

Under the direction of Dr. Terry Hunt, Ms. Julie Field will collect data for her doctoral dissertation. She will initiate new archaeological research in the Sigatoka Valley, located in the southwestern corner of the island of Viti Levu, Fiji. This research will investigate the evolution of competitive settlement strategies between related and non-related social groups in Fijian prehistory. Ms. Field's previous analyses of aerial photographs from the Sigatoka Valley have documented the location and character of over 700 archaeological features, including fortifications, agricultural features, and unfortified settlements. Despite the quantity and richness of the archaeological record, no chronology exists for the establishment of the fortifications, or the arrival of the various patrilineal descent groups documented at the contact period. Ms. Field's doctoral dissertation research will examine the development of fortifications in the valley, and also trace the relationship between the environment and the frequency of conflict, as evinced by the occurrence of fortifications on lands traditionally held by patrilineal descent groups, known as mataqali and yavusa. Her research will incorporate an archaeological excavation and collection strategy, focusing on a sample of 15 sites from a variety of environmental zones. The acquisition of datable materials from such features as walls, ditches, and remote mountain outposts will allow for the first chronology of fortifications in this part of Fiji. Ms. Field will also couple the information gleaned from archaeological research to an environmental model generated within the framework of a geographic information system (GIS). Comparison of these data, as well as the distribution of land-holdings and hierarchical social relations that are known to exist between the patrilineal descent groups of the valley, will have the potential to indicate group fission, movement, and the various competitive stances that existed in prehistory. Archaeologists are interested in the development of conflict and warfare, and the examination of fortifications is a very direct method for the study of this phenomenon during the prehistoric period. NSF support will allow Ms. Field to conduct excavations in Fiji, and also provide for the dating of archaeological materials. This research is important because it will yield data of interest to both regional and international scholars, and it explores a topic that is of great interest to the discipline of anthropology. It will also support and assist in training a promising young scientist.