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

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.

Keywords

Polynesia, paleoenvironmental, horticulture, pollen, phytoliths, starch.