As was typical of the time, earlier studies in Polynesian and Hawaiian physical anthropology suffered from the limitations of the racial typological paradigm for explaining human variability. A switch to population biology-based thinking and the use of multivariate statistical procedures signalled the beginning of a new era in physical anthropology. After reviewing some of this previous, and more recent work in physical anthropology of Hawai`i and Polynesia, including studies in anthropometry, cranial and dental studies, a new multivariate study of craniometric and cranial non-metric data is presented. Mahalanobis' Generalized Distance, stepwise discriminant function analysis and the UPGMA clustering technique are applied to cranial measurements recorded in 9 male and 9 female Polynesian groups. The male Hawaiian sample includes an equal number of specimens from three locations: Mõkapu (O`ahu), Honokahua (Maui), and Kaua`i. The female Hawaiian series includes an equal number of skulls from O`ahu and Maui. The Mean Measure of Divergence (MMD) Statistic is applied to the non-metric data for the same Polynesian groups. The results of these latest multivariate analyses reiterate the relative isolation of Hawai`i while indicating a close biological affinity with cranial series from eastern Polynesia. The Marquesas may represent the most recent homeland of Hawaii's indigenous inhabitants.
Man and Culture in Oceania, 13: 1-37.
Key words:Craniometry; multivariate statistics; physical anthropology; Polynesia; Hawai`i
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The paper, taking the Bougainville crisis as a case study, discusses identity quests as seen in Papua New Guinea. On Bougainville Island, a compensation claim made by customary landowners against the Australia Copper mining company in 1988 later developed into a secession movement against the PNG government. From this process, what can be observed, on one hand, is the ethnic integration of this island, which is fragmented into small socio-political units based on traditional landowners' communities, and on the other, social disintegration of these communities occurred.
It is presumed that these integration and disintegration movements actually resulted from such identity pursuits as (1) the identity of a nation sought by the people of Bougainville under their increasing awareness as an ethnic group, and (2) that of the landowners sought by those who are politically aware of their land rights.
It is also presupposed, however, that these results, integration and disintegration, can be attributed to such characteristics of identity itself, composed of the two-fold elements of the self/other, and destined to pursue autonomy or sovereignty as its proposition.
Man and Culture in Oceania, 13: 39-56.
Key words:Identity pursuit, nation, sovereignty, landowners, autonomy, class; ethnicity, integration, disintegration
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This article presents quantitative data on food sharing and examines its social and ecological functions in a Samo/Kubo community that subsists on shifting cultivation, exploitation of sago palms, hunting, fishing, and gathering. Both plant and animal foods were exchanged on a day-to-day basis between households. There was a great variation of horticultural production during the study period, and an estimation of horticultural production for three years also predicts a great temporal fluctuation for each household. Although the present gardening pattern of the target village produces a cyclical occurrence of oversupply and shortage at a household level, by the inter-household- sharing people might avoid the wastage at the period of oversupply and the shortage at me off-crop period. The kin plays an essential role of their subsistence. Sharing of cultivated and gathered foods showed an obvious kin-bias, while hunted animal foods were widely distributed without kin-bias. The amount of food shared was much larger within the longhouse communities, which were combined to build the present village, than between them. Therefore, it can be concluded that a longhouse community can be a potential unit of self-sufficiency of food production and consumption.
Man and Culture in Oceania, 13: 57-82.
Key words:foodsharing; horticulture; self-sufficiency; kin-bias; longhouse community; Samo; Kubo; Papua New Guinea
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Based on the dietary intake surveys in 1988 and 1994, of a Kubo community, located in the foothills of the Western Province, Papua New Guinea, this paper examines the drastic change in their food consumption over a short period of time. After contact with the government and Christianity in the 1960's, their social life changed conspicuously: 1) residential change from semi-nomadic life in longhouse communities to sedentary village life, 2) the end of intra- and inter-group raiding, 3) the acceptance of food prohibitions deriving from Christian fundamentalism or the Seventh Day Adventist Church, and 4) the gradual expansion of the cash economy. These changes have influenced Kubo food consumption. Comparing the data of 1988 with that of 1994, the following four major changes were observed: 1) both energy and protein intakes declined, 2) the contributions of both sago starch and plantain bananas to the energy intake was reduced by half, while that of tubers increased strikingly, 3) protein intake from wild animal food was reduced drastically, and 4) imported foods, such as rice and wheat flour, were not eaten in 1988, but by 1994 were consumed, though only in small amounts.
Man and Culture in Oceania, 13: 83-98.
Key words:Papua New Guinea; Kubo; Subsistence ecology; food consumption; social change
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An archaeological assemblage of fish bones from an excavation at Kokohuia in Northland yielded 2416 identified bones from which an MNI of 835 fish was derived. Snapper (Pagrus auratus) dominated the assemblage but at least 20 other families were represented in the catch. No change could be detected between early and late layers in the stratified midden deposit. The main strategy of Kokohuia fishermen appears to have been fishing with demersal baited hook, probably from canoes. Trolling with lures was also practised and there was minor use of nets and traps. The Kokohuia assemblage is compared with other northern assemblages of fish bones from Mount Camel and Twilight Beach. The site also produced a small assemblage of crustacean remains, belonging to seven species, predominantly from a sheltered rocky shore environment.
Man and Culture in Oceania, 13: 99-116.
Key words:New Zealand, Hokianga harbour, Kokohuia, prehistory, archaeozoology, fauna, fishing
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When People of Palau (Belau), Micronesia, die overseas, their corpses are usually sent back to Palau immediately for burial. Similar cases are not so rare throughout the Pacific. However, although Palauans usually fear dying outside of Palau, several Palauans have been buried in Guam, Saipan, and Hawaii. In this paper, the political elements behind the phenomena of overseas burials will be discussed according to the author's data collected from Palauans residing in Guam, Saipan, and Hawaii. In Palau, a burial site for the deceased is an important subject negotiated between relatives from both the mother's and father's sides. Due to the increase of migration of the Palauans, the struggle and conflict of where to bury a corpse has been observed between relatives living in Palau and those residing overseas. Paying special attention to the burial politics, the Palauan situation in a contemporary context will be clearly elucidated.
Man and Culture in Oceania, 13: 117-134.
Key words:Palau, burial, funeral, politics, migration, exchange
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The Hula is the ethnic dance of Hawai`i. There are at least 40 Hula groups and 20,000 people learning Hula in Japan today. Most students are middle-aged or older women who belonged to the Hawaiian music generation during the 1950's and 1960's. They are learning Hula for their health or for recreation. The process of accepting the Hula in Japan is focused on in this paper. The characters of Japanese Hula groups, and the modifications of the Hula are discussed based on the results of the researches conducted in 1995. The researches include the interviews of leaders of Hula groups and the questionnaire research on hundreds of students learning Hula all over Japan.
The Hula was first introduced to ordinary Japanese through Hollywood movies in the late 1920's. There are two stages in the acceptance of the Hula. The first stage is the period of the importation of the commercialized Hula from Waikiki from the 1950's to the 1970's. It seems that the intense image of "dream islands" facilitated the acceptance of the Hula in Japan. The second stage is the period of setting up Hula classes at karucha sentas beginning at the end of the 1970's. The Hula was modified in several ways in this second stage.
Modifications of the Hula are observed in terms of performance, evaluation, repertory, or attributes of students. Above all, the modification of the organization is worth mentioning. It has some common points with the iemoto system, which is unique to Japan. These modifications are the results of the accommodation to karucha sentas and the adoption of the iemoto system, while the authority of the Hula is regarded as existing in Hawai`i. Frequent contacts with the Hula society of Hawai`i make these modifications unstable.
Man and Culture in Oceania, 13: 135-152.
Key words:Hawaii; Hula; ethnic dance; Japan; cultural acceptance; iemoto; performing arts
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