Under the direction of Dr. Michael Graves, Ms Hinanui Cauchois will conduct research for her doctoral dissertation. Her project draws upon information in archaeology, ethnohistory and oral traditions that describe traditional warfare and political competition in the Society Islands of French Polynesia. Though located centrally within East Polynesia, these islands are not well studied by archaeologists. For instance, there is only limited information on the time span of human settlement and agricultural practices in the islands. Relatively little work has been done on warfare and defense, or changes in the location of villages in relation local ecology or the impact of other polities in the area.
Ms. Cauchois will study how the use of resources and the construction of defenses have affected the locations of villages on the Island of Mo'orea. She has hypothesized that villages were relocated inland in several valleys before European contact in order to protect individuals from aggression by others. This pattern extended into the period following European contact when warfare became even more pronounced. Cauchois will compare her findings in the valley of Papeotai with other valleys on Mo'orea and throughout the Societies.
This work combines survey and mapping of sites, with limited excavations, archival research, interviewing local inhabitants, and the creation of a Geographic Information Systems database. This latter piece will allow Cauchois to analyze the location and timing of different activities and events associated him human development of the valley. Through excavation Cauchois will acquire of samples for absolute dating and for reconstructing the environment in different sections of the valley. Information from these sources will be synthesized with historical sources.
This research provides evidence documenting one aspect of interaction between humans and their environment in the tropics. It will contribute to answering the general question: Did traditional Polynesian societies develop through the same pathway of cultural processes toward a similar endpoint, that of greater social complexity prior to the arrival of the first Europeans? There will be two main products resulting from this project: 1. creation of a GIS database that will provide a predictive model of site locations and distributions for use by cultural resource managers in the region; and 2. publication of the research results in French and English language journals. Outcomes will also be directed toward the public. This research is associated with 'Te 'ihipapa no ta'ato'a? (Archaeology for Everyone), an organization Cauchois created in 2007 to make the results of archaeology accessible to the public. This research is part of a community-oriented project, including the training of young Tahitians to conduct survey and excavation, as learning how to preserve sites for the future. There will be presentations in different contexts: local schools and high schools around the island, public meetings for the community, as well as publication of non-technical booklets. Currently, there are few local people involved in managing cultural heritage or the interpretation of Society Islands' history. This project promises to share the significance of the Islands' archaeological heritage and to empower communities, which tend to devalue their contributions to history.
