Mid-sequence colonization and occupation at Nukubalavu, Vanua Levu, Fiji

Summary

Inspired by Bill Dickinson’s broad and multifaceted perspective on the archaeological record of human colonization in the Pacific Islands, we present both new data from Vanua Levu, Fiji—informed in part by Bill’s ceramic petrography from the site of Nukubalavu and reflections on the thalassic pattern of colonization in the central Pacific Islands. While a sea focus in the Pacific Islands is unremarkable, some Lapita, Late Lapita, and Mid-sequence occupations of Fiji reveal an intriguing pattern of colonization focused on somewhat marginal areas including small islands, tombolo, and seemingly isolated or separate sea bound land formations such as that found at Bourewa, Vorovoro, and Nukubalavu. We also describe recent archaeological work on Nukubalavu on Vanua Levu where a house foundation yielded organic material suitable for radiocarbon dating, zooarchaeological remains, Late Lapita and Mid-Sequence ceramics, coral files, charred and waterlogged archaeobotanical remains, and subsurface features.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• An Archaeologist’s Geologist: A Symposium in Honor of William R. Dickinson   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage