Differential Recovery of Pacific Island Fish Remains: Evidence from the Moturakau Rockshelter, Aitutaki, Cook Islands

Date

1994

Contributor

Advisor

Department

Instructor

Depositor

Speaker

Researcher

Consultant

Interviewer

Narrator

Transcriber

Annotator

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

University of Hawai'i Press (Honolulu)

Volume

Number/Issue

Starting Page

Ending Page

Alternative Title

Abstract

Effects of differential recovery on faunal remains from archaeological sites have been documented by numerous researchers in Europe and North America. However, similar research is lacking for Pacific Island fish assemblages. Here, the fish assemblage from the Moturakau rockshelter in the Cook Islands is analyzed to determine effects of recovery bias on relative abundance, number, and kinds of taxa represented. Smaller-mesh screens are shown to have significant effects on relative abundance estimates for smaller samples and for increasing sample size and number of taxa across all samples. Kinds of taxa recovered are shown to be dependent on both body size and element size of the taxa. Implications of these findings for Pacific Island subsistence interpretations are discussed and suggestions are made for curbing the effects of differential recovery. KEYWORDS: faunal analysis, screen size, Pacific Islands, fish remains.

Description

Keywords

faunal analysis, screen size, Pacific Islands, fish remains, Prehistoric peoples--Asia--Periodicals., Prehistoric peoples--Oceania--Periodicals., Asia--Antiquities--Periodicals., Oceania--Antiquities--Periodicals., East Asia--Antiquities--Periodicals.

Citation

Nagaoka, L. 1994. Differential Recovery of Pacific Island Fish Remains: Evidence from the Moturakau Rockshelter, Aitutaki, Cook Islands. Asian Perspectives 33 (1): 1-17.

Extent

Format

Geographic Location

Time Period

Related To

Related To (URI)

Table of Contents

Rights

Rights Holder

Local Contexts

Email libraryada-l@lists.hawaii.edu if you need this content in ADA-compliant format.