Collaborative Research: The Paleoecology of Plant Use at Nualolo Kai, Kauai: An Integrative Study of Resource Change in Hawaiian Prehistory

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Archaeologists and palaeobotanists from the University of Hawaii and the University of Wisconsin, led by Dr. M. Graves and by Dr. M. Jeraj, will collaborate in research on the northwestern coast of Kauai island, Hawaii. The project will combine archaeological, archaeobotanical and palaeoecological analyses of plant remains and artifacts from a site located in the remote Nualolo Kai Valley. The site preserves one of the islands' richest assemblages of organic materials from several former houses, occupied for at least 500 years from ca. AD 1300-1900. The materials used in this study have already been collected, first by Bishop Museum more than 40 years ago, and second by University of Hawaii researchers who excavated a smaller area of the site in the 1990s. These materials constitute an unparalleled set of data. The overall goal of this project is to integrate our understanding of human-plant and animal resource interactions within the dynamic natural and cultural environment of the Valley.This research has three objectives: 1. to demonstrate the range and intensity of traditional plant use by humans in relation to native vegetation at Nualolo Kai; 2. to investigate the impacts that humans produced as they utilized plant resources and introduced cultivation to the Valley; and 3. to study how plant and animal resources were used and their distributions modified over time in relation to environmental, ecological, and cultural features. The analyses are designed to detect long-term human-environmental changes native and introduced plants, and the role of former settlers in the modification of vegetation and landscape within a valley on one of the archipelago's oldest islands. This research will expand beyond vegetation to assess potential human impact and co-evolutionary change across several resources from two major environmental zones: plants, birds, and domesticated animals from terrestrial contexts, and shellfish and fish from marine contexts. Such integration in archaeological studies in Hawaii has not been previously accomplished. This research will also establish the significance of native Hawaiian plants in pre-existing ecosystems, and show how reconstructions of the natural environment can be used today to conserve and preserve native plant taxa. Nualolo Kai is one of the most important archaeological sites in Hawaii, with extensive and extremely well preserved plant and animal collections that are not duplicated anywhere else in Hawaii and possibly in Pacific. The intellectual merit of the study lies in its comprehensive analyses of plant and animal exploitation from both terrestrial and marine environments over time. The study is informed by ecological models and is designed to evaluate human-induced environmental changes. There are several broader impacts. Data and results will be available to the public via databases made available on University of Hawaii and University of Wisconsin websites. Professionals, native Hawaiians and Kauai residents will have access to the site's collections. This research will be highlighted in professional publications and presentations. Undergraduate and graduate students will participate in the project to enhance their skills and increase their knowledge of Hawaiian prehistory. The results will provide insight on maintaining, preserving and restoring the area, particularly important for local resource managers.