Anthropological Study on Prehistoric Polynesian Dispersal

本研究的重点是在波利尼西亚中部库克群岛最南端的曼加亚岛进行广泛的、多学科的实地研究，并收集必要的基础数据，以重建波利尼西亚群岛定居初期史前波利尼西亚人的物理特征和生活方式。更具体地说，是对岛上的Vairoronga遗址进行考古发掘，收集有关捕鱼、植物使用和工艺品制造的传统艺术的信息，收集民俗词语和圣歌，目的是重建古代生活的语言。1993年和1994年分别对Vairoronga遗址进行了两次考古发掘，经C14测年初步证实，该遗址最长可追溯到1000年前。通过发掘，在遗址墓葬区共采集到30具人体骨骼遗骸。这是人类SK…的集合更多的骨骼可能被认为是迄今为止在波利尼西亚出土的最大的材料之一。在遗址的习惯性区域，出土了大量的石器、骨器和贝壳文物，如鱼钩、鱼叉和纹身梳子。此外，在那里还采集了一堆食物残骸，如动物骨骼、鱼骨和贝壳，以及C14测年材料。食物残留物达10多公斤，C14材料达500多个样本。这些人类骨骼遗骸、考古材料和C14样本目前正由本研究的合作者在日本的实验室进行分析和检查。这些材料的数量太大，短期内无法进行分析，但在获取证据以确定史前波利尼西亚人的扩散和适应海洋小岛的战略方面肯定非常有希望。语言学数据已经积累到足以制作一本曼加亚-英语词典。这本词典将成为从语言上重建古代曼加亚社会的文化、社会结构和生活方式的资料来源，保存一种正在逐年消失的土著波利尼西亚语言应该是非常重要的。较少

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