Hawaiian Studies

Spinner dolphins in a remote Hawaiian atoll: social grouping and population structure

by Keith Larson

Karczmarski, L., B. Würsig, G. Gailey, K. W. Larson, and C. Vanderlip. 2005. Spinner Dolphins in a Remote Hawaiian Atoll: Social Grouping and Population Structure. Behavioral Ecology 16:675–685. doi: 10.1093/beheco/ari028.

Spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) commonly use inshore island and atoll habitats for daytime rest and social... more Spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) commonly use inshore island and atoll habitats for daytime rest and social interactions and forage over deep waters at night. In Hawaii, they occur throughout the archipelago. We applied photo identification mark recapture techniques to study the population structure of spinner dolphins associated with remote Midway Atoll, far-western Hawaii. At Midway, spinner dolphins live in stable bisexually bonded societies of long-term associates, with strong geographic fidelity, no obvious fission-fusion, and limited contacts with other populations. Their large cohesive groups change little over time and are behaviorally/socially discrete from other spinner dolphin groups. This social pattern differs considerably from the fluid fission-fusion model proposed previously for spinner dolphins associated with a large island habitat in the main Hawaiian Archipelago. These differences correspond to geographic separation and habitat variation. While in the main islands there are several daytime resting places available at each island habitat; in far-western Hawaii, areas of suitable habitat are limited and separated by large stretches of open pelagic waters with potentially high risk of shark predation. We hypothesize that with deepwater food resources in close proximity and other atolls relatively far away for easy (day-to-day) access, it is energetically more beneficial in the remote Hawaiian atolls to remain ‘‘at home’’ than to travel to other atolls, so there is stability instead of variability; there is no fission-fusion effect. Thus, the geographic isolation and small size of remote atolls trigger a process in which the fluidity of the fission-fusion spinner dolphin society is replaced with long-term group fidelity and social stability.

The origins of monumental architecture in ancient Hawai'i.

by Michael Kolb

2006. The origins of monumental architecture in ancient Hawai'i. Current Anthropology 46(4):657-664.

Landscape of War: Rules and Conventions of Conflict in Ancient Hawaii (and elsewhere).

by Michael Kolb

2002. Landscape of War: Rules and Conventions of Conflict in Ancient Hawaii (and elsewhere). With B. Dixon. American Antiquity 67(3): 514-34.

Pig sacrifice and the archaeology of ritual in the Hawaiian kingdom.

by Michael Kolb

1997. Pig sacrifice and the archaeology of ritual in the Hawaiian kingdom. In, Complex Polities in the Ancient Tropical World, Archaeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association 9. Edited by E. A. Bacus and L. J. Lucero, pp. 89-107.

Monumentality and the rise of religious authority in precontact Hawaii.

by Michael Kolb

1994. Monumentality and the rise of religious authority in precontact Hawaii. Current Anthropology 35(5):521-547.

Cultural dynamics and the ritual use of woods in pre-contact Hawai'i.

by Michael Kolb

1994. Cultural dynamics and the ritual use of woods in pre-contact Hawai'i. (M.J. Kolb and G. H. Murakami.) Asian Perspectives 33(1):57-78.

Conceptual Proximity: A Cross-linguistic Analysis of Alienable and Inalienable Possession in Hawaiian

by Kerry Hull

An Institution that was a Village: Archaeology and Social Life in the Hansen's Disease Settlement at Kalawao, Moloka‘i, Hawaii

by James Flexner

Please note that I am legally not permitted to post the actual proofs of this article to this website, but will happily share proofs if you contact me. The link above is to the official published version of the paper on SpringerLink. The full citation is: Flexner, J. L. (2012) An Institution that was a Village: Archaeology and Social Life in the Hansen’s Disease Settlement at Kalawao, Moloka‘i. International Journal of Historical Archaeology 16(1):135-163.

DOI: 10.1007/s10761-012-0171-4

Archaeological research in the Hansen’s disease settlement at Kalawao, Moloka‘i, Hawaii, has revealed evidence that... more Archaeological research in the Hansen’s disease settlement at Kalawao, Moloka‘i, Hawaii, has revealed evidence that challenges patterns expected from theoretical and archaeological research on total institutions. While written documents provide evidence for a community with many of the classic elements of places of social control, archaeological remains fit better with models of post-contact Hawaiian village life. This apparent contradiction is revealing for the power dynamics produced in the social life of modern leprosaria, medical institutions created in situations of long-term colonial entanglement.

Le héros américain : d’Indiana Jones à Lost

by Nathalie Schon

S’il y a une culture qui aujourd’hui cultive le mythe du héros, c’est bien la culture américaine. ll ne se passe pas... more S’il y a une culture qui aujourd’hui cultive le mythe du héros, c’est bien la culture américaine. ll ne se passe pas un jour sans que John et Beth ne soient fêtés en héros car l’un a rapporté un portefeuille, et l’autre a éteint un départ de feu chez son voisin. Mais ce héros peut-il être clairement défini ? Est-il immuable ? Définit-il la nation américaine ? Où apparaît-il ?
La dernière question est la plus simple. Aux Etats-Unis d’Amérique le héros est véhiculé avant tout à travers des oeuvres de la culture populaire.
Qu’est-ce que la culture populaire ? En France ce terme fleure bon le folklore et revêt un côté ringard, voire négatif. On l’oppose systématiquement à la « vraie culture », à l’art, la civilisation pour la reléguer dans le bourbier de la télé-réalité, de Voici magazine, des contes pour enfants, des recettes de cuisine de notre enfance, bref le terme décrit en France les amusements de la France d’en bas qui ne nécessitent que peu de cerveau humain disponible pour détourner la phrase de Patrick Le Lay, PDG de TF1.
Or aux Etats-Unis l’expression « culture populaire » n'est pas liée à un aspect péjoratif mais à une thématisation de phénomènes culturels de masse à diffusion importante.
Pour que l'oeuvre soit populaire et pas seulement un traitement du populaire, il faut qu'elle soit intelligible et accessible à une majorité: par son style, son support, son mode de diffusion.


Puisque le héros américain trouve ses heures de gloire dans la culture populaire., quoi de plus normal donc d’en rechercher une définition sur le médium roi du genre populaire : internet ?

ʻOnipaʻa ka ʻOiaʻiʻo: The Truth is Steadfast

by Ronald Williams, Jr.

A small hui of writers was contracted by Hui o Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī Coalition [ʻĪlioulaokalani Foundation, Kamehameha... more A small hui of writers was contracted by Hui o Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī Coalition [ʻĪlioulaokalani Foundation, Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and others.] to contest the manipulation and distortion of history that was being put forth in public histories by well funded private groups here in Hawaiʻi. Brief, primary source "public history" essays were written on several topics.

Egyptian Spit, “Intelligent Design,” and Other Tales of the Origin of the World

by Louise Krasniewicz

Intelligent Design proponents could learn a lesson from anthropology and mythology. Intelligent Design proponents could learn a lesson from anthropology and mythology.

Iä ‘Oe e ka Lä: Around the World with King Kaläkaua

by Adam Keaweoka'I Kina'u Manalo-Camp

published in O'iwi Volume 2

Retracing the political and social implications of King Kaläkaua's voyage around the world Retracing the political and social implications of King Kaläkaua's voyage around the world

Teaching Land and Sovereignty-A Revised View

by Umi Perkins

ʻO Ka ʻĀina Ke Ea: Land is Sovereignty

by Umi Perkins

Archaeology of the Recent Past at Kalawao: Landscape, Place, and Power in a Hawaiian Hansen's Disease Settlement

by James Flexner

Doctoral Dissertation, Contact the Author for a copy, or follow this link to ProQuest:

http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=2126282121&SrchMode=2&sid=1&Fmt=2&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1286218640&clientId=4303

Archaeology of the Recent Past at Kalawao:
Landscape, Place, and Power in a Hawaiian Hansen's Disease... more Archaeology of the Recent Past at Kalawao:
Landscape, Place, and Power in a Hawaiian Hansen's Disease Settlement

by

James Lindsey Flexner
Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology
University of California, Berkeley
Professor Patrick Kirch, Chair

Historical archaeology often focuses on the study of dispossessed, subaltern, or marginalized groups in the modern world. One such group is the community of the Hansen's disease (leprosy) settlement at Kalawao, Moloka‘i, which was established by the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1865. The first people diagnosed by the state with Hansen's disease arrived in Kalawao in 1866, and around 1900 settlement shifted to the other side of Kalaupapa peninsula. Hawaii would not end its quarantine policy until 1969. Archaeological research on Kalawao's recent past draws from the theoretical frameworks of the archaeology of colonialism, which focuses on the study of unequal power relations in situations of intercultural interaction, and the archaeology of total institutions, which focuses on the lives of inmates and staff in socially bounded places of isolation, such as prisons, almshouses, and insane asylums. Archaeology can be used to reveal patterns that are often not apparent in the written record, providing valuable insights into the everyday lives of people living in colonial and institutional situations. These insights in turn can inform different interpretations of the nature of power and its use by individuals coping with stigma and isolation, and living in created communities.

A multiscalar archaeological research project provided some valuable data about the community at Kalawao, focusing primarily on the period from 1866-1900, but also drawing on archaeological evidence from earlier and later periods. Landscape and settlement pattern analyses revealed that the spatial ordering of the settlement followed the form of a Hawaiian village site, rather than that of a typical total institution. Pre-existing Hawaiian ritual sites remain scattered throughout the late-19th century landscape. Detailed study, including excavations, of archaeological house sites in Kalawao revealed continuity as well as change in architectural forms, including the use of traditional Hawaiian domestic architecture through the end of the 19th century. Excavations also revealed the richness and variability of domestic assemblages. Artifact analysis of surface collected and excavated materials yielded evidence for the use of brightly colored ceramics, and the production and use of worked bottle glass tools for cutting and scraping. Glass bottles found in Kalawao provide evidence for continued human activity after what is historically considered the time of abandonment of the settlement. Archaeological patterns at all scales suggest that material in the settlement follows Hawaiian patterns of daily life throughout the modern period.

Ultimately, this research challenges the antisocial stigma associated with Hansen's disease, by showing the extent to which people worked to create a community in Kalawao. Material culture played a crucial role in this process, as goods and objects served to create social bonds. The evidence for the creation, maintenance, and transformation of social structures in Kalawao also provides valuable material for considering the ways that communities form in situations of long-term incarceration. Where the state was able to create a quarantine settlement and to establish rules, the community in the settlement actually determined the form of everyday life in Kalawao, and set about essentially creating a Hawaiian village. This suggests that in institutions that are relatively decentralized, with over-arching rules and standards set by an external power but little day-to-day regulations, people will form communities that make sense in terms of their preexisting ideas about social organization, and their social habits.

Foreign Animals, Hawaiian Practices: Zooarchaeology in the Leprosarium at Kalawao, Moloka‘i, Hawaii

by James Flexner

Archaeological research on the Hansen’s disease settlement at Kalawao, Moloka‘i highlights the relationship between... more Archaeological research on the Hansen’s disease settlement at Kalawao, Moloka‘i highlights the relationship between the institutional mandates of the Hawaiian Board of Health, and the village organisation evident in the physical remains of the leprosarium. One aspect of this work focuses on the role of animals in the settlement, using archaeological surface remains as well as faunal remains recovered from excavations. Zooarchaeology in Kalawao reveals changes in diet due to provisioning by the state, notably increased consumption of cattle, but also continuity in traditional Hawaiian food procurement strategies such as shellfish collecting, in addition to other patterns relevant to human-animal interactions.

NOTE: This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in the Journal of Pacific Archaeology following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version from Vol. 2 Issue 1 of the Journal of Pacific Archaeology (pgs. 82-91) is available online at: http://www.pacificarchaeology.org/index.php/journal/article/view/33/25

Bottles, Abandonment, and Re-visitation in the Hansen’s Disease Settlement at Kalawao, Moloka‘i

by James Flexner

Published in Hawaiian Archaeology, vol. 12, 2011 (pp. 108-124). See www.hawaiianarchaeology.org for more details.

The concept of site abandonment is an important one for interpreting artifact assemblages from archaeological sites.... more The concept of site abandonment is an important one for interpreting artifact assemblages from archaeological sites. Using bottle glass artifacts from the Hansen’s disease settlement at Kalawao, this paper explores the relationship between historically known dates for abandonment of an area and archaeological evidence for continued visits to the area. Although most of Kalawao is considered abandoned by the beginning of the 20th century, glass bottles indicate that people continued to visit Kalawao, and that the old settlement continued to be an important part of community social life even when no longer permanently inhabited. This observation has important implications for interpreting post-Contact site chronologies in Hawai‘i, as artifacts in surface contexts may indicate temporary visits, rather than continued habitation of archaeological features. This kind of evidence can also provide useful insights into behaviors not otherwise documented in contexts of permanent habitation.

Application of Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Practices of Indigenous Hawaiians to the Revegetation of Kaho'olawe

by Samuel M. ʻOhukaniʻōhiʻa Gon III

Opportunities and constraints for intensive agriculture in the Hawaiian archipelago prior to European contact

by Samuel M. ʻOhukaniʻōhiʻa Gon III

L’utopie antillaise et hawaïenne

by Nathalie Schon

L’utopie a la connotation d’un rêve impossible. D’ailleurs, il faut s’y habituer, l’utopie en général finit mal : soit... more L’utopie a la connotation d’un rêve impossible. D’ailleurs, il faut s’y habituer, l’utopie en général finit mal : soit parce qu’elle est victime d’une société extérieure corrompue (Paul et Virginie de Bernardin de Saint-Pierre), soit parce qu’il s’agit d’une anti-utopie (Brave New World d’Aldous Huxley). Cependant, rien dans la définition du concept n’indique la fin malheureuse comme inhérente au projet utopique. Dans les littératures antillaises et hawaiiennes, la fin heureuse n’est d’ailleurs pas abandonnée, même si elle est loin d’être évidente.
En ce qui concerne les littératures européennes, il faut distinguer deux types d’utopie : les utopies “ naturelles ” chantant un mode de vie plus proche de la nature, inspiré d’un bonheur “ primitif ” antérieur au besoin de conquête et les utopies “ religieuses ”, sociétés organisées sur la base d’un enseignement, d’une parole révélée, inspiration de bon nombre d’anti-utopies.
Du point de vue insulaire, les catégories ne sont pas tout à fait les mêmes. En effet, l’utopie “ naturelle ” va de pair avec une sacralisation du passé, ce qui ne surprend pas dans des sociétés dans lesquelles le religieux garde son importance. A ce passé idéalisé privilégiant un milieu rural sacralisé, s’oppose une vision du futur, détachée de tout contexte religieux.
Ces deux façons de penser l’utopie sont celles d’une part de Gisèle Pineau, Xavier Orville, Lois-Ann Yamanaka, Lee A. Tonouchi et d’autre part de Patrick Chamoiseau, Raphaël Confiant, John Dominis Holt, Carlos Andrade et Joe Balaz.
Dans les deux cas, l’utopie se distingue par deux thèmes majeurs : le sacré et l’insularité ou la ville idéale ainsi que par la création d’un système qui englobe tous les aspects de la société afin de la rendre crédible, “ réelle ”.