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

合作研究：可爱岛努阿洛洛凯植物利用的古生态学：夏威夷史前资源变化的综合研究

• 批准号: 0609833
• 负责人: Michael Graves
• 金额: $ 6.12万
• 依托单位: University of Hawaii
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-09-01 至 2010-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0609833&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Paleoecology; Plant; Use

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.

来自夏威夷大学和威斯康星大学的考古学家和古植物学家将在M·格雷夫斯博士和M·杰拉伊博士的带领下，在夏威夷考艾岛西北海岸进行合作研究。该项目将结合考古、考古植物学和古生态分析，对位于偏远的Nualolo Kai山谷的一个遗址的植物遗骸和文物进行分析。该遗址保存了岛上最丰富的有机材料组合之一，这些材料来自几座旧房子，从公元1300年至1900年被占用了至少500年。这项研究中使用的材料已经被收集，第一次是由主教博物馆在40多年前收集的，第二次是由夏威夷大学的研究人员收集的，他们在20世纪90年代挖掘了较小的遗址区域。这些材料构成了无与伦比的数据集。这个项目的总体目标是将我们对人-植物和动物资源相互作用的理解整合到山谷动态的自然和文化环境中。这项研究有三个目标：1.展示人类利用传统植物与当地植被的范围和强度；2.调查人类利用植物资源和将栽培引入山谷时产生的影响；3.研究植物和动物资源如何被利用，以及它们的分布随着时间的推移而变化与环境、生态和文化特征的关系。这些分析旨在检测本地和引进植物的长期人类环境变化，以及前定居者在修改群岛最古老岛屿之一的山谷内的植被和景观中所起的作用。这项研究将超越植被，评估来自两个主要环境区域的几种资源对人类的潜在影响和共同进化变化：陆地环境中的植物、鸟类和家养动物，以及海洋环境中的贝类和鱼类。在夏威夷的考古研究中，这样的整合是以前从未完成过的。这项研究还将确定夏威夷本土植物在原有生态系统中的重要性，并展示如何利用重建的自然环境来保护和保存本土植物类群。Nualolo Kai是夏威夷最重要的考古遗址之一，拥有大量且保存极为完好的动植物收藏品，这些收藏品在夏威夷其他任何地方都无法复制，可能在太平洋也是如此。这项研究的学术价值在于它全面分析了随着时间的推移从陆地和海洋环境中对动植物的开发。这项研究是由生态模型提供信息的，旨在评估人类引发的环境变化。这有几个更广泛的影响。数据和结果将通过夏威夷大学和威斯康星大学网站上的数据库向公众公布。专业人士、夏威夷原住民和考艾岛居民将可以使用该网站的藏品。这项研究将在专业出版物和演示文稿中重点介绍。本科生和研究生将参与该项目，以提高他们的技能，增加他们对夏威夷史前历史的了解。研究结果将为维护、保护和恢复该地区提供见解，这对当地资源管理人员尤其重要。