Dissertation Research: Archaeological Investigation of Exchange in the Caroline Islands

9412851 Ayres在William Ayres博士的指导下，Christopohe Descantes先生将为他的博士论文收集数据。他将在太平洋雅普岛上的Gachpar村和位于雅普岛海岸外的珊瑚礁乌利蒂进行人种学、民族史学和考古学研究。人种学数据表明，与太平洋许多地区一样，在雅加达地区存在广泛的交换网络，以便在资源匮乏的岛屿之间分配货物，该交换网络在岛屿政治的政治组织中发挥了核心作用。在雅加达，情况似乎相当复杂，因为该岛的特定地区与个别离岛环礁保持着专属联系。在更细微的层面上，这些联系似乎是由个人、家庭和血统指定的。德斯坎提斯将在雅普和乌利提进行人种学和考古田野工作。他将在YAP村进行采访和挖掘，按照传统，YAP村与乌利提有贸易联系。他也将在尤利利做类似的工作。在此基础上，他将确定目前存在哪些贸易联系，并首先通过历史记录追溯这些联系，然后通过出土的考古材料追溯到史前过去。考古数据表明，几千年前，地理上与世隔绝的太平洋小岛就有人居住了。虽然这种扩张所涉及的最初的航行壮举早已得到承认，但人们对允许持续占领岛屿的社会、经济和政治制度关注较少，这些岛屿往往缺乏可开采的石头、粘土和其他必需品。本研究正是围绕这一主题展开的。这一点很重要，因为它深刻的年代学观点将使人们能够检查该系统是如何发展和维持数千年的。德尚提斯先生收集的数据将会引起许多人类学家的兴趣。该项目还将有助于培养一位有前途的年轻科学家。

9412851 Ayres Under the direction of Dr. William Ayres, Mr Christopohe Descantes will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will conduct ethnographic, ethnohistorical and archaeological research in the village of Gachpar, located on the Pacific island of Yap, and at Ulithi, a coral atoll located off Yap's coast. Ethnographic data indicates that in the Yap region, as in many parts of the Pacific, extensive exchange networks existed to distribute goods among resource poor islands and this exchange network played a central role in the political organization of island polities. In Yap the situation appears quite complex since specific areas of the island maintained exclusive links with individual outlying atolls. At an even finer level, these linkages appeared specified by individual family and lineage. Mr. Descantes will carry out ethnographic and archaeological fieldwork on both Yap and Ulithi. He will conduct interview and excavation in the Yap village which, by tradition is linked through trade to Ulithi. He will do similar work at Ulithi as well. On this basis, he will determine what trading ties exist at the present time and trace them backwards first through the historical record and then, by means of excavated archaeological material into the prehistoric past. Archaeological data indicates that small and geographically isolated Pacific islands were inhabited thousands of years ago. While the original feats of navigation involved in this expansion have long been recognized, less attention has been focussed on the social, economic and political systems which permitted sustained occupation of islands which were often lacking in workable stone, clay and other essential goods. This research is focussed on this topic. It is important because its deep chronological perspective will permit one to examine how the system developed and was maintained over millennia. The data which M. Deschantes collects will be of interest to many anthropologists. The proj ect will also assist in the training of a promising young scientist.