Pre-Contact Samoan Cultivation Practices in Regional and Theoretical Perspective

Abstract

Most pre-European Polynesian societies were supported by intensive and elaborate cultivation systems. These systems were at the core of human adaptation and political maneuvering, being intimately tied to both the physical and cultural environment. However, our understanding of the development of and variation within Polynesian cultivation systems has been restricted by a lack of knowledge and discussion of key archipelagoes. One such archipelago is Samoa. Recent archaeological evidence, when combined with previous fieldwork, has resulted in an opportunity to explore questions of agricultural development in Samoa. We review these data here, and put them into regional and theoretical context. We argue that similar processes are apparent across the archipelago, notably involving risk management technology. Variation, though, is also apparent and it appears that the tempo and scale of intensification was not even. We argue that there is evidence of correlations between agricultural development and political change, and much of the infrastructural developments relating to cultivation might have played a role in changing socio-political structures. While this review provides new evidence of the complexity of Samoan cultivation practices, additional targeted research is necessary, especially on the island of Savai'i.

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