Conference PaperPDF Available

Using Stable Isotopes to Differentiate between Lapita and Chiefdom Period Diets in Tonga

December 2014

Conference: Australian Archaeological Association: Culture, Climate, Change: Archaeology in the Tropics
At: Cairns, Australia

Authors:

Lauren Prossor

Australian National University

Frédérique Valentin

French National Centre for Scientific Research

To date, there has been relatively little stable isotope research into past dietary habits in Oceania (Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa, New Caledonia and Fiji). This is particularly evident in Tonga. This study reports on J28 (c. 250±100 yrs BP), TO-AT-36 (not dated by original study) and Talasiu (c. 2700 yrs BP). It was conducted as part of the Masters of Archaeological Science coursework (ANU) to determine, using stable isotopes, whether a) there was dietary variation within the J28 burial mound located in the Lapaha chiefly district; b) the diets within the J28 and commoner burials in mound TO-AT-36 are different to those in Lapita burials (Talasiu); and c) the diets of the individuals interred at J28 (elite) and TO-AT-36 (commoner) are different. Collagen extraction was based on the Longin procedure. Dr. Jack Fenner and all class members prepared the samples. Samples were analysed at the Isotope lab at ANU RSES. Samples that did not pass diagenesis tests were excluded from subsequent interpretation. A -5‰ diet to collagen carbon offset and a 5‰ nitrogen trophic level was assumed. The results show the diets of the individuals at Talasiu are carbon enriched in comparison to J28 and TO-AT-36. There was a correlation of decreasing δ15N values as the δ13C values decrease at J28 and TO-AT-36. It can be concluded that the majority of individuals at all three sites consumed C3 plants. The carbon-enriched diet at Talisiu indicates the consumption of more marine sourced protein, while the stable isotope analysis indicates the diets at J28 and TO-AT-36 comprised terrestrial protein. No statistically significant dietary difference within the chiefly J28 burial mound or between J28 and TO-AT-36 were identified. These results clearly show a dietary shift sometime after the end of the Lapita Culture in Tonga.

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AAA / ASHA

2014 Conference

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AA A / ASHA

2014 Conference

Edited by

Sean Ulm, Geraldine Mate and Julie Jerbic

Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology Inc., 2014

ISBN 978-0-9589221-0-4

Published by the Australian Archaeological Association Inc. and

Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology Inc.

Printed by Conference Online.

Citation details:

S. Ulm, G. Mate and J. Jerbic (eds) 2014

Culture, Climate, Change: Archaeology in the

Tropics: Conference Handbook.

Cairns, QLD: Australian Archaeological Association

Inc. and Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology Inc.



AA A / ASHA

2014 Conference

Table of Contents

Welcome 2

Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners 3

Conference Organising Committee 3

Volunteers 3

Sponsors 4

Getting to Cairns 6

Getting around Cairns 6

Cairns Visitor Information and Map 7

Conference Information 8

Photo Competition 9

Social Media Guide 10

Pre-Conference Workshops 12

Conference Workshops 13

Meetings 16

Social Functions 17

Post-Conference Tours 18

Awards and Prizes 19

Sessions 23

Forums 31

Poster Presentations 33

Venue Floor Plan 37

Programme Summary 38

Detailed Programme 40

Abstracts 58

AA A / ASHA

2014 Conference

We invite you to visit the tropics this year to participate

in the joint Australian Archaeological Association/

Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology annual

conference, ‘Culture, Climate, Change: Archaeology in

the Tropics’. This is just the third time our two associations

have come together to share our annual conferences and

we look forward to continuing our close collaboration into

the future. The tropical zone is home to extraordinary

diversity, reected in a rich and diverse archaeological and

natural heritage. In our own region, discoveries such as

Homo oresiensis

, sea-faring Lapita peoples on the south

coast of Papua New Guinea and the tropics as a key zone

controlling global climate have fundamentally reshaped our

understandings of the long-term human histories of these

vast land and seascapes. Your host James Cook University

welcomes you to the tropics to engage in conversations

about these issues and about many others which confront

our disciplines. Our venue for 2014 is the Pullman Cairns

International. We trust that delegates and other guests will

enjoy their experiences in the North of Queensland.

Sean Ulm and Geraldine Mate

AAA/ASHA2014 Conference Convenors

Welcome



AA A / ASHA

2014 Conference

Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners

Our conference takes place in the coastal city of Cairns, Queensland, home of the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji

and Yirrganydji peoples. The Conference Organisers acknowledge them as the Traditional Owners of the

land on which we are meeting. We would like to express our appreciation to the representatives of these

communities for their participation in the conference.

We acknowledge Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the rst inhabitants of this

country. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners and Elders of the land both past and present on

which we stand today. In the spirit of reconciliation, we also acknowledge the valuable contribution that

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continue to make to our community.

Conference Organising Commiee

Conference Convenor: Sean Ulm (James Cook University)

Deputy Convenor: Geraldine Mate (Queensland Museum / James Cook University)

Conference Treasurer: Helene Tomkins (James Cook University)

Sponsorship Coordinators: Luke Godwin (James Cook University)

and Aleisha Buckler (University of Queensland)

Website Manager: Jacqueline Matthews (University of Western Australia)

AAA/ASHA Prizes and Awards Coordinators: Annie Ross (University of Queensland)

and Martin Gibbs (University of New England)

Conference Managers: Julie Jerbic and Erin Rapson (Conference Online)

Thank you also to the staff and students of James Cook University for their support and assistance.

Volunteers

The Conference Organising Committee gratefully acknowledge the time, energy and enthusiasm of the

following James Cook University volunteers:

Felise Goldnch

Anna Kreij

Catherine Livingston

Annette Millar

Texas Nagel

Annette Oertle

Sarah Slater

Karen Thornton

AA A / ASHA

2014 Conference

Using Stable Isotopes to Differentiate between Lapita and Chiefdom Period Diets in Tonga

Abstract

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