The Scale, Nature, and Timing of Agricultural Adaptations in Upland Kaʻū

Seth Quintus; Darby Filimoehala; Carly Walker; Gail Murakami; Summer Roper Todd

doi:10.70460/jpa.v16i2.394

Authors

Seth Quintus https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4388-3862
Darby Filimoehala International Archaeology, Inc. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6742-9915
Carly Walker International Archaeology, Inc. https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4034-7569
Gail Murakami International Archaeology https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3424-148X
Summer Roper Todd Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1255-3370

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70460/jpa.v16i2.394

Keywords:

Agriculture, land tenure, land mangement, agroecosystems, Hawaii

Abstract

Substantial changes in political and land organization occurred in Hawaiʻi in the last 200 years before European arrival. These changes are thought to have affected land access and management, with areas nearer centers of power being more heavily influenced. Less is known about the effects of these changes on outlying areas and those areas with substantial environmental diversity. We investigate this scenario here by examining remnants of the Kaʻū Field System located in the Kahuku Unit of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. We find evidence for local-scale agricultural management and the persistent use of houses through time. We also identify evidence of continued access to forest resources, even after formal agricultural infrastructure replaced a low-intensity agroforestry system. Our results speak to a high degree of autonomy in this section of the Kaʻū Field System, which contrasts with some parts of the Kona Field System and the center of the Leeward Kohala Field System.

Author Biography

Seth Quintus

Department of Geosciences
North Dakota State University
Department 2745, PO Box 6050
Fargo, ND 58108-6050
701.290.6244

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