Anthropological Study on Prehistoric Polynesian Dispersal

本研究的主要目的是在波利尼西亚中部库克群岛最南端的曼加伊亚岛进行广泛的、多学科的实地考察，收集重建史前波利尼西亚人在波利尼西亚群岛定居初期的身体特征和生活方式所必需的基础资料。更具体地说，是对岛上的Vairoronga遗址进行考古挖掘，收集有关传统捕鱼艺术、植物使用和手工艺品制造的信息，1993年和1994年在瓦伊罗龙加遗址进行了两次考古发掘，初步证明，根据C14测年，最多可追溯到公元前1,000年通过挖掘，在遗址的埋葬区共收集到30具人类骨骼遗骸。这一系列的人类sk ...更多信息 eletons可以被认为是迄今为止在波利尼西亚本土挖掘出的最大材料之一。在遗址的习惯区，出土了大量的石器、骨制工具和鱼钩、鱼叉、刺梳等贝壳制品。此外，还在那里采集了一堆食物遗骸，如动物骨头、鱼骨和贝壳，以及C14测年材料。食物残留量超过10公斤，C14材料超过500个样品。这些人类骨骼遗骸、考古材料和C14样本目前正在日本的实验室由本研究的合作实验室进行分析和检查。这些材料数量庞大，无法在短期内进行分析，但它们一定很有希望获得证据，以说明史前波利尼西亚人向小海洋岛屿的扩散和适应。语言数据已经积累到足以编写一本曼盖语-英语词典的程度。该词典将成为一个一揽子来源，以获取数据，从语言学上重建一个古老的Mangaian社会的文化，社会结构和生活方式，它应该是非常重要的，以保护土著波利尼西亚语言，这是一个正在消失的一年。少

The major point of the present study was to carry out an extensive, multidisciplinary field research in Mangaia, the southernmost island of the Cook group, central Polynesia, and to collect basic data which are necessary for reconstructing the physical characters and life way of prehistoric Polynesian people at the initial stage of settlement in the Polynesian islands. To be more concrete, it was to excavate archaeologically the Vairoronga site on the island, to gather information on the traditional arts of fishing, plant using and artefact manufactures, and to collect folkloristic words and chants for the purpose of linguistic reconstruction of ancient life.Archaeological excavation was carried out twice one each in 1993 and in 1994 at the Vairoronga site which has been proved provisionally to date at most 1,000 years BP by C14 dating. Through the excavation, human skeletal remains for a total of 30 individuals were collected in the burial area of the site. This collection of human sk … More eletons may be reckoned as one of the largest materials to date excavated in the Polynesia proper. In the habitual area of the site, there were excavated plenty of stone tools, bone tools, and shell artefacts such as fishhooks, harpoons and tatoo combs. Furthermore, a heap of food remains such as animal bones, fish bones and shells, and C14 dating materials were sampled there. The food remains amount to more than 10 kilograms, and the C14 materials to more than 500 samples. Those human skeletal remains, archaeological materials and C14 samples are now being analyzed and examined by the co-laborators of the present study at their laboratories in Japan. Those materials are all too large in volume to analyze in a short term, but must be very promissing in getting evidence to make a scenario on prehistoric Polynesian dispersals and adaptation starategies to small oceanic islands.Linguistic data have been accumulated enough to make a Mangaian-English dictionary. The dictionary will become a package source to derive data to reconstruct linguistically the culture, social structure and life way of an ancient Mangaian society, and it should be very important to preserve an indigenous Polynesian language which is vanishing year by year. Less