REU Site: Integrating the Study of Hawaiian Landscapes through Archaeology, Geography, Hawaiian Studies, and History

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This REU site combines an on-going archaeological research project with training for undergraduates. Intellectual Merit - Current research is focused on understanding the relationship between the natural and social environments, agricultural development, the elaboration of social complexity, and the distribution of human settlements in North Kohala, Hawai'i Island. Results of previous work have established that the expansion and intensification of dry land farming on the drier, western slopes of Kohala were occasioned by soil nutrient availability, rainfall distributions, and the innovation of new agricultural technology. New research will examine how the system of dry land agriculture articulated with farming practices on the wetter, eastern side of Kohala in both large and small valleys and ridge tops. The expansion of leadership roles in both secular and religious realms will be studied, particularly the ways in which labor was mobilized, provided for defense, and signaled chiefly competitive ability. Broader Impacts - This work integrates research and education, training students in contemporary archaeological and historical approaches. It does so with the recognition of the ethical obligations that archaeologists have to employ the least destructive analytical tools to complete their research, and to report on the findings of their analyses in a timely manner.