A Traditional Samoa Rapidly Disappearing
I. Project Overview and
Background
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This report describes the
results of recent field classes in archaeology conducted jointly by the American
Samoa Community College and the University of Oregon. The Samoan and Pacific
Studies Department of American Samoan Community College (ASCC) and the
University of Oregon Anthropology Department co-sponsored the summer school
projects beginning in 1998 under the direction of Dr. William S. Ayres. Several
undergraduate students from the University of Oregon joined 8 to 10 ASCC
students for the archaeology field course. Field work was carried out in
Malaeimi Valley (1998) and in Malaeloa (1999), under the direction of
archaeologist Epi Suafo'a (U.S. National Park Service) and Joan Wozniak (PhD
student in archaeology, University of Oregon). The first general area of study,
Malaeimi Valley, was selected based on prior research done by Suafo'a during the
summer of 1994 and other surveys in the adjacent Tafuna Plain. Suafo'a had
located several lithic scatters and ceramic deposits in sites near walled garden
areas south of the highway (especially Site AS31-34). Malaeloa was selected in a
1999 field operation designed to sample similar sites in a comparable but
distinct area of the island. Gwen Robbins (PhD student in physical anthropology,
University of Oregon) participated in this project as well.
Goals of the field school are
to teach about basic concepts and methods of archaeology and the relationship of
these to carrying out field studies, including reconnaissance survey, site
mapping with transit and compass, use of the GPS system, and excavation
techniques. Initial classroom training of archaeological techniques and use of
the transit were followed by field work, which reinforced classroom discussions.
The Field School Research and
Teaching Plan.
Archaeological sites should
not to be used for training purposes, especially for excavations, unless there
is a well-defined reason and plan for conducting activities that would have an
impact on site integrity. International professional organizations, including
the Society for American Archaeology, have long had guidelines highlighting this
concern. The field school activities on Tutuila were done with full recognition
of this aim while teaching archaeological methods and cultural resource
conservation.
Malaeimi, one of the largest
valleys on Tutuila, opens onto the Tafuna Plain. This area is important
archaeologically for several reasons The interface between Malaeimi Valley and
the Tafuna Plain has provided the first inland sites containing prehistoric
ceramics (Suafo'a 1998) and it is one of two locations providing evidence that
supports the hypothesis that pottery was manufactured and used in Samoa much
later than previously thought, well past the fourth century A.D. (see Clark
1997). Malaeloa occupies a similar position with regard to a coastal plain east
of Leone.
The archaeological field
school was planned originally as an opportunity to continue investigations at
one of Tutuila's very important sites, Malaeimi Site AS31-34. The aim of the
field school project was to gain further knowledge about the extent and time
depth of the sites located by Suafo'a in 1995 and in general to explore the
nature of inland Tafuna Plain settlement. Improving map data, site boundary
definition, and knowledge of the artifact content of this site was to result
from the field school activity. However, because of the disturbance at Site
AS31-34 site during the three years following its initial description and
complications of land ownership issues, an alternate site nearby (Site
AS31-59)--which includes a massive stone wall fortification--was chosen as the
project area.
Reconnaissance in the Samoan
National Park and other field trips were to expose the students to the wide
variety of archaeological sites forming the cultural record in Samoa. Being able
to recognize archaeological sites in a field situation is a basic skill.
We expect to continue
the field school in the Malaeloa area in Summer 2001.
Fig. Plan of surface artifact
distribution for the central part of Site AS32-006. Shows counts of stone flakes
from adz production in a workshop area mapped in the 1999 field class. Some
10,000 flakes are under analysis.
Tutuila's Samoan Context
The Samoan archipelago, a
core area of Polynesia (Burrows 1971), is located at latitude 14 deg. S and
longitude 170-178 deg. E, in the South Central Pacific. Nine of Samoa's eleven
volcanic islands are inhabited. American Samoa is made up of five volcanic
islands, and two coral atolls. American Samoa is located 2600 miles southwest of
Hawaii and 550 miles northeast of Tonga. Its largest island, Tutuila, is made up
of a composite volcano that rises about 4.8 kilometers (3 miles) from the ocean
floor and is 29 km (18 miles) long and 9.7 km (6 mi) wide with a total land area
of 135 square kilometers (52 sq.mi). The topography of Tutuila is rugged and
geographically complex and the island is nearly bisected by a deep natural
volcanic embayment known as Pago Pago Harbor on the southeast shore.
American Samoa has a warm,
humid, tropical climate with an annual mean temperature of 26 deg. C (79 deg.
F). The average humidity is 80%. During the dry season (May to November)
moderate southeast trade winds predominate; the period from June to August
exhibits the driest and coolest conditions. Weakened variable winds occurring
during the wet season cause the high temperatures and heavy rains which persist
from January to March. Average annual rainfall measured at the Pago Pago
International Airport weather station is 3,175 mm (125 inches). However,
rainfall varies greatly with elevation and aspect. Pago Pago Harbor rainfall is
estimated at 7600 mm (300 inches).
Samoan Archaeology
Prehistoric and historic
archaeological features have been identified and documented in many areas of the
Samoan Islands. These include prehistoric village sites, quarries, star mounds
and other stone and earth constructions, and fortifications located on mountain
tops, ridge lines, and in lowland areas. Early interest centered on stone tools
and earth mounds (Sterndale 1890, Thompson 1927). Modern archaeological research
in Samoa began with Golson (1957,1959) and Green and Davidson (1969, 1974) in
Western Samoa, followed by Jennings et al. (1976, 1980); while Kikuchi
(1963) did early work in American Samoa with fortifications and refuge sites in
Manua, along with other survey by Emory and Sinoto (1965). Since the early
1970s, Cultural Resource Management (CRM) projects have been the major force in
documenting archaeological remains in American Samoa. Clark (1980) evaluated the
historic preservation program in American Samoa and compiled an inventory of
known sites. During the 1980s the American Samoa Historic Preservation Office (ASHPO)
sponsored archaeological projects employing a number of scholars (e.g. Gould,
Reinhardt and Honor 1985; Ayres and Eisler 1985; Brophy 1986, Hunt and Kirch
1987, 1988; Clark and Herdrich 1988; Clark 1989; Best 1992, Leach and Witter
1989; Kirch and Hunt 1993). Ayres and Eisler have done the only work thus far on
Tutuila's far western end. Jeff Clark has conducted several projects in eastern
Tutuila (Clark 1981, 1993, Clark and Michlovic 1996). Most of these projects
involved surveys, intensive mapping and excavations.
II. The Field Projects
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Malaeimi
As the field school project
unfolded, students became involved in archaeological surveys in three distinct
environmental conditions. The Field School participants surveyed for
architectural features on a ridge top in the National Park near the village of
Vaitia, a level area (Site AS31-34) having many exposed surface artifacts
(ceramics and lithics), and in areas overgrown with vines and herbaceous plants
that concealed architectural features. The two latter surveys were in Malaeimi
Valley. A major portion of the archaeological field school was centered in
Malaeimi Valley at the fortification wall, also know as the Tongan Wall, located
near the mouth of the valley where it opens onto the Tafuna Plain. The Field
School personnel cleared vegetation away from a stone structure believed to be a
fortification wall and an area south of, and adjacent to, the wall. This area
was surveyed and the features within the survey area were designated with the
ASHPO number of the fortification wall, Site AS31-59 plus feature numbers. The
survey area was then mapped for geomorphological and all archaeological
features. Two small test trenches were excavated in features at Site AS31-59.
Fig. Plan of massive stone wall
at Malaeimi, Tutuila. This forms the eastern end of a structure identified as a
defensive wall extending across the lower part of Malaeimi Valley.
Malaeloa
We did a reconnaissance
survey in Asiapa on the eastern side of Malaeloa valley; this included the land
cared for by the Filisi family of Malaeloa Village. Several features were
located and subsequent work exposed ceramics and, especially in Feature 4, large
quantities of stone flakes from adze manufacturing. Test excavations
demonstrated considerable depth to the flake stone deposits and provided one
radiocarbon date in the 15th century A.D. Combined surface collections and
excavated debitage provided approximately 10,000 pieces for analysis.
Fig. Profile of exavation unit
designated F3 located in Feature 4. Dense lithic debitage was recovered from the
test unit.
Pottery was important for
storage and cooking in Samoa's distant past, but was unknown historically. The
Maleimi Site (AS31-59) has produced one of the largest collections of early
pottery recovered in all of Samoa. Two basic kinds, Thin, Fine plainware and a
Thick, Coarse ware showing dense volcanic rock-temper, are known for the time
period between approximately 500 BC and possibly as late as AD 800-1200 in
Samoa. Most ceramic vessels are bowls of varying sizes, including ones with
squared rims. The earliest pottery dating back to approximately 1300 BC is
related to Lapita ceramic traditions known throughout Melanesia to the west. No
pottery has been made in Samoa in the last few centuries.
III. Proposed Field Projects
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In conjunction with the
American Samoa National Park, the field school effort will focus on the
traditionally important village area of Saua in Ta'u, Manu'a Islands of eastern
American Samoa, possibly in 2002. This area will be studied from the standpoint
of archaeology, oral history, and natual environment as a traditional Samoan
village.
Fig. Map shows location of
ancient village of Saua on Ta'u, Manu'a Islands of eastern Samoa. The green
shaded area represents the National Park land on Ta'u.
Field classes in archaeology
have been successful in achieving the main goals of conveying theories and
methods of doing archaeology, fieldwork, which included reconnaissance survey,
site mapping with transit and compass, and an understanding of the use of a GPS
system, and excavation techniques. The overall project has fostered facilities
improvement at SAMPAC; the development of a database of sites and artifacts;
conservation efforts for sites, artifacts, collections; and additional work with
oral history about geographical areas and sites.
Students of Samoan descent
from ASCC as well as the University of Oregon and Hawaii have gained as
participants a new perspective on their past; non-Samoan students from Oregon
and elsewhere have had their eyes opened a little wider by their experience in
Polynesia.
SAMPLE OF SITE DATA
Table
1. Archaeological Features Identified Within the Project Area of Malaeimi
Site AS31-59
Feature AS31-
59-1, 2, 3: Fortification wall
in three sections; probably prehistoric.
59-4: Rock alignment bordering stream bed and extending from
wall Feature 59-1:(prehistoric?)
59-5: Rock lined pit depression, approximately 1 meter in
depth, 20 meters south of 59-2. This feature is covered with corrugated metal.
Probably historic.
59-6: Wooden hut built on posts imbedded into eastern portion
of AS31-59-3. This portion of the wall structure had been flattened and expanded
north and south of the original wall alignment to accommodate the hut structure.
East of the hut, the wall was covered with crushed gravel to make a drive-way.
Historic remodeling of a prehistoric feature.
59-7: Fale 1 is a paepae of basalt rocks on raised lava
flow landform 25-30 meters south of Feature 59-1. Fale 1 was designated
AS31-ASCC T1 when mapped. An
excavation Trench 1 consisting of 2 units reveals Fale 1 is historic.
59-8: Fale 2 is associated with historic artifacts and a 2 x 3
meter rectangular concrete pad (HC Feature 2) associated with large mango trees
that appear to be more than 30 years old.
59-9: Concrete pad directly north of Feature AS31-59-8, Fale 2 paepae.
This pad was adjacent to the portion of the fale having the toilet artifacts and
may have served as part of a shower or bathroom facility.
59-10: Concrete water cistern (HC Feature 3) in depression south of
AS31-59-7, Fale 1 and Feature AS31-59-8, Fale 2. This cistern is 1.25 m square
and 1.25 meter high. It is located 2 meters east of the barbed wire and rock
wall fence Feature AS31-59-11), which forms the Ho Ching/Lima boundary within
Depression 1.
59-11: Rock wall about 1 meter in height within depressed area 2 m. west of
water cistern. Two strands of barbed wire are strung along the top of the wall
and continue in a north and south directions from the stone wall feature. This
wall is made up of rocks 30-40 cm in diameter, and extends about 3 meters
north/south, dividing the depression D.L-2.
59-12: Cement post with a 5 cm
metal pipe embedded in it. This post is located at the HoChing/Lima boundary at
the western-most end of Feature AS31-59-1 wall structure.
59-13: East of Depression 4 is a north-south alignment of small rocks (under
15 cm) 2.5-3.5 meters wide, which extends 35-38 meters and parallels the path
from the warehouse to the village northwest of the AS31-59-1 site. This mound of
rocks is low, less than 1/2 meter high. It is not constructed like the AS31-59
fortification wall and may represent a disposal site for rocks cleared from the
path. A dirt path is on the east side of the rock feature. This alignment is
designated Feature AS31-59-13. TS-4 is located at the southwestern edge.
59-14: An alignment of rocks just under one meter high and running east/west
along the northern edge of the cleared project areas is designated AS31-59-14.
It extends west outside of the project area and is covered with vines. This is
the only feature which may represent an extension of the fortification wall
connecting AS31-59 on the east, with AS31-60 on the western side of the valley.
Time did not permit us to explore this possibility.
59-15: Six small "artificial" depressions, which appear to be
planting holes, which may have held papaya or banana plants at one time. They
were located between Depression 4 and the warehouse, and west of TS-4. These
small depressions were 20-40 cm in diameter and 10 to 20 cm deep. These did not
appear to spatially aligned with one another.
Depression 1: A 3-4 meter deep
depression north of commercial edifices and metal fence east of the Ace
warehouse construction, on Lima property. This depression is edged in basalt
boulders and soil in uneven steps on the north. Bananas, coconuts, and papaya
trees grow in these stepped areas. The bottom of the depression serves as a
garbage disposal area for the local inhabitants. The south and western edges of
the depression has been mechanically altered by heavy equipment within the past
several years. The east end of the depression narrows and extends onto the Ho
Ching property.
Depression 2: An uneven low area
divided by the barbed wire boundary fence. It has less steep edges than
Depression 1, but is also lined with basalt boulders and soil. The depression
extends eastward to the concrete pad. Features associated with Lima property.
Depression 3: A circular
depression north of Depression 1 and west of Depression 2. It is lined entirely
with lava rocks. The depression becomes less deep on its northern border. The
plan view of this depression is shown in Figure 3. Depression 3 is located in an
elevated landform extending west from Feature AS31-59-1. The landform slopes
steeply on both the northern and southern aspects, and slopes gradually to the
west where the path described below in AS31-59-13. Depression 3 is also
currently used as a refuse disposal area.
Depression 4: A depression also
located on Lima property directly behind the warehouse construction. This
depression is more than 150 meters east of the other 3 depressions. Like
Depression 3, it is circular and lined entirely with rocks; there is no soil; it
is used as a garbage disposal area. The cross-section of this depression was
measured with the transit from TS-5, which was on the southern side of the
depression. Depression 4 is also currently used as a refuse disposal area.