Fishponds and Aquaculture in the Ancient Hawaiian Political Economy

Summary

The political economy of ancient Hawai'i, prior to European contact in 1778-79, has often been characterized as based primarily on a "staple economy" with highly intensified forms of both irrigated and dryland agriculture. Less appreciated is the role of intensive aquaculture of two species (milkfish and mullet) using several kinds of often extensive fishponds. This paper explores the role and significance of such aquaculture in the late pre-contact Hawaiian political economy, drawing especially upon extensive archaeological and ethnohistoric data from the island of Moloka'i. It is argued that on Moloka'i, fishponds rivaled pondfield irrigation in their ability to provide the elite ruling class with a dependable source of surplus.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Traps, Weirs, Ponds, and Gardens: Exploring the Social and Ecological Significance of Aquatic Subsistence Features

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14486