Social interaction through structured use of space in the early Hawaiian Household

Author(s): Kirsten Vacca

Year: 2015

Summary

Archaeological investigations of pre-European contact Hawai’i rarely consider gendered space within the household—specifically, female spaces. Some scholarship addresses male spaces, yet few researchers currently attempt to understand the household and the landscape in terms of complex gendered interactions. In addition to this lack of household research, issues of androcentrism and historical linearity plague many Hawaiian ethnohistories, leaving fundamental gaps in knowledge that can be filled through concentrative archaeological research. This paper presents research from Nu’u, Kaupō, Maui in the Hawaiian archipelago, focusing on a gendered analysis of the archaeological record through engagement with oral traditions and gender and feminist theory. The central question to be addressed is the formal organization of space and how this structured social interaction within late pre-European contact Hawaiian house complexes. The research privileges archaeological remains, analyzing placement and construction of residential architecture as well as artifacts and ecofacts recovered from residential landscapes. The integration of feminist theory and oral traditions with the carefully collected archaeological data paints a more nuanced picture of gendered social relations and the use of space in the household.

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Cite this Record

Social interaction through structured use of space in the early Hawaiian Household. Kirsten Vacca. Presented at The 80th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, San Francisco, California. 2015 ( tDAR id: 397413)

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Keywords

Geographic Keywords
Oceania

Spatial Coverage

min long: 111.973; min lat: -52.052 ; max long: -87.715; max lat: 53.331 ;