Life in the Diminutive Realm: Human Adaptations to Smaller Island Environments

In the archaeological study of islands worldwide, research has generally focused on larger land masses. This is primarily based on the assumption that human colonizing groups require certain necessities—suitable land for cultivation, easier access to resources such as fresh water, and room to expand as populations grow. However, it is becoming increasingly demonstrated that smaller islands within archipelagoes were equally, if not more, attractive for settlers due to their superior marine and/or terrestrial resources, isolated locations for ritualized activities, and more manageable defense. Smaller islands, however, are also more susceptible to human impacts given myriad social and natural processes. In this symposium, we will explore how people settled and lived on small islands in various parts of the world, with an emphasis on how they differ from other settings. Potential topics are diverse and will encompass a range of issues and theoretical perspectives—from historical ecology and ethnoarchaeology, to more specific case studies and comparative analyses. The overall goal is to present how current research on smaller islands is changing how these seemingly peripheral and less important locales are pivotal to our understanding of human survivability in aquatic environments.