Agriculture, Domestic Production, and Site Function: Microfossil Analyses and Late Prehistoric Landscapes of the Society Islands. Pollen, phytolith, and starch analyses of sediment samples from the ‘Opunohu Valley, Mo‘orea, Society Islands were completed to retrieve data on prehistoric vegetation, Ma‘ohi planting practices, and cultigens. A second goal was to test whether microfossil data can aid in the identification of food production, storage, and plant processing locales at the local and community level, as modeled from ethnographic and ethnohistoric literature. In addition, we use Fourier Transform InfraRed spectroscopy (FTIR) on degraded and suspected starch, to provide another line of evidence for identifying starch grains. The ‘Opunohu Valley microfossil analyses provide direct evidence for 1) past environments and vegetation, including human–induced environmental change and pre–contact agricultural practices, as well as tentative evidence for 2) cultivation and plant processing, 3) domestic production and consumption, including cooking practices and surplus food storage, and 4) site function and specialization that are referenced in the ethnohistoric literature. Twenty economic taxa were identified in addition to grasses, sedges, and palms. Banana leaf phyotliths found in sub–surface pits in residential contexts provide supporting evidence that such features served for short–term food storage or breadfruit fermentation. In addition, we model the potential economic uses of Pandanus, Casuarina, Weinmannia, and paper mulberry based on microfossil data and ethnohistoric accounts. While microfossil studies are of clear interest for reconstructing landscapes, human–environmental interactions, and agricultural practices, they also have relevance to questions concerning socio–economic transformations at the local and community levels.
Agriculture, production domestique et interprétation fonctionnelle des sites : analyses de micro-fossiles et paysages préhistoriques aux Iles de la Société. Des analyses portant sur des échantillons de sédiments, pollen et phytolithes, provenant de la vallée de ‘Opunohu à Mo’orea, dans les Iles de la Société, ont permis d'apporter des données sur la végétation préhistorique, les pratiques culturales et les espèces cultivées. Le deuxième objectif de cette étude était de vérifier si les données sur les micro-fossiles peuvent contribuer à documenter les pratiques liées à l'exploitation et à l'entretien de plantes utiles, les procédés de production de nourriture et son stockage, au niveau familial et communautaire, dont on a par ailleurs connaissance à travers la littérature ethnographique et ethnohistorique. Nous avons de plus utilisé la spectrométrie infra-rouge Fourier Transform (FTIR) sur des échantillons dégradés que l'on supposait être des vestiges d'amidons, méthode qui a permis des résulats supplémentaires. Les analyses de micro-fossiles de la vallée de 'Opunohu ont ainsi fourni des données directes sur : 1) l'environnement et la végétation passés, dont l'impact anthropique sur les changements environnementaux, et les pratiques culturales pré-Contact, 2) l'agriculture et l'utilisation des plantes, 3) la production domestique et la consommation, dont les pratiques de cuisine et la conservation du surplus de nourriture, 4) la fonction des sites et la spécialisation des activités, tels que documentés par les sources ethnohistoriques. Outre les taxons d'herbacées, "sedges" et palmiers, vingt taxons d'espèces utiles ont été identifiés. Les phytolithes de feuilles de bananiers mis au jour dans les sondages réalisés sur des sites d'habitat apportent des preuves de leur utilisation pour le stockage de nourriture et pour la technique de fermentation du fruit de l'arbre à pain. Enfin, nous élaborons un modèle du potentiel économique lié à l'utilisation des espèces Pandanus, Casuarina, Weinmannia et mûrier à papier, basé sur les études de micro-fossiles et les sources ethnohistoriques. Si l'intérêt des analyses de micro-fossiles pour la reconstitution des paysages anciens, des interactions homme-environnement et des pratiques culturales n'est plus à démontrer, elles sont également pertinentes pour documenter les transformations socio-économiques à l'échelle locale et communautaire.
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1Submitted 30 April 2013; Accepted: 26 May 2014
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Kahn, J.G., Horrocks, M. & Nieuwoudt, M.K. Agriculture, Domestic Production, and Site Function: Microfossil Analyses and Late Prehistoric Landscapes of the Society Islands1 . Econ Bot 68, 246–263 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-014-9274-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-014-9274-7