Plant microfossils reveal human activity in and around Hawaiian Island fishponds, including introduced Polynesian and European multi-cropping

Mark Horrocks; Ena Sroat; Jillian Swift; Mara Mulrooney; Windy McElroy; Tanya Lee-Greig; Simon Bickler

doi:10.70460/jpa.v15i1.372

Authors

Mark Horrocks University of Auckland https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6935-9969
Ena Sroat Pacific Legacy Inc.
Jillian Swift Pacific Legacy Inc. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7436-1947
Mara Mulrooney Pacific Legacy Inc.
Windy McElroy Keala Pono Archaeological Consulting
Tanya Lee-Greig ʻĀina Archaeology
Simon Bickler Bickler Consultants Ltd https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7620-2862

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70460/jpa.v15i1.372

Keywords:

Polynesia, palaeoenvironmental, horticulture, pollen, phytoliths, starch

Abstract

Archaeological research of Hawaiian Island pre-contact fishponds is hindered by loss of many because of erosion, land reclamation, and urban development. Understanding early Hawaiian resource activity is hindered because, to date, plant macroremains are rarely reported. We use plant microfossil analysis in three fishponds, on Maui, Oʻahu, and Molokaʻi, to explore these archaeological features and build on previous studies. The results differentiate aquatic/marine and dryland environments, and provide direct evidence of indigenous and introduced cultigens, including Aleurites moluccana, Cocos nucifera, Colocasia esculenta, Pandanus tectorius, and Zea mays. The surviving ponds, many infilled with sediments, and their surrounds represent a sink of bio-archaeological evidence of Hawaiian aqua-agricultural activity.

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