Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Transition from Chiefdom to Archaic State in Kaupo, Maui, Hawaiian Islands

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

When British explorers first arrived in Hawaii in 1778, they inadvertently became witness to a society in the final stages of a transition from chiefdom to archaic state. Under the supervision of Dr. Patrick Kirch, Alexander Baer will examine how this transformation affected communities through both time and space. Utilizing data collected from 2008-2012, this project will track the sociopolitical changes in the district of Kaupô, Maui, to understand how this region moved from a marginal hinterland to become the seat of Maui's royal power. Through analyses of archaeological remains, broad spatial surveys, rich oral tradition, and environmental conditions, Kaupô's history offers insights into the processes through which sociopolitical centralization fundamentally alters society from the largest scales of hierarchical organization and landscape modification down to the daily practices of the common people. At the threshold between chiefdoms and established state societies, archaic states provide a new framework through which to examine the rise of social complexity. Through Kaupô, this work will improve understanding of archaic states by examining the sociopolitical influence on a peripheral community as surrounding structures became increasingly complex. While traditionally referred to as a marginal community, the district suddenly came to prominence in the early 18th century as Maui's sixth king, Kekaulike, chose it as his royal seat. With this single move, Kaupô became home to the island's elite, and by European contact was a dominant district featuring an intensified agriculture system, a palace, and two lines of major temples bounding the region. This dichotomy of marginal community to core provides a discrete and narrowly dated cutoff, allowing for the generation of hypotheses surrounding sociopolitical development in the centuries prior to Kekaulike's arrival and the period following. To understand Kaupô's sociopolitical development, both prior to the arrival of Kekaulike as well as following, a suite of field projects and laboratory analyses have been conducted. Between 2008-2012, intensive survey of >6 km2 has been combined with remote sensing to generate a GIS database of settlement patterns across the landscape. Integrated within this database are the results of excavations at 27 different sites, each chosen for their size, location, and probable function to best represent the range of activities practiced in Kaupô. While analyses of the material culture found at these sites are in progress, no direct dating has been done to place these sites and practices within a temporal framework. Through NSF support, this project will conduct extensive radiocarbon dating, allowing for a chronological understanding of Kaupô's sociopolitical development. Beyond it's impact on scholarly understandings of archaic states and Hawaiian history, this project has, and will continue, to contribute extensively to the communities of Kaupô and greater Maui. Numerous community, business, and school groups have been taken throughout the region to gain a better understanding of past cultural practices, highlighted by an intensive, weeklong field school led Baer aimed at teaching Native Hawaiian high school students both the practice of archaeological excavation as well as the value of historical information. In partnering with local schools, including Kamehameha School and Seabury Academy, this project has established a framework for archaeological education that will continue in future collaborations. Work with local ranches, businesses, and landholders has been similarly productive, resulting in changes to cattle rotation and the removal of invasive plant species to safeguard the remaining cultural heritage. Through future publications and the establishment of Kaupô's unique and critical role in Hawaiian history, this project will continue its collaborations with different groups who similarly understand the importance of this place.