Joel Klenck, Ground Penetrating Radar (“GPR”) Surveys of Archaeological Features on the Islands of Tutuila and Ofu: Habitations, Fowl-Catching Blinds, Graves, Cultivation Pods, Storage Features, and Traps

Abstract

During archaeological surveys in 2018, on the islands of Tutuila and Ofu, archaeologist Joel Klenck conducted 219 scans, using a GSSI UtilityScan, a ground penetrating radar ("GPR") with a 350-megahertz, multi-stack­ing antenna. Several hypothesis were tested including whether terraces on slopes provided platforms for fale (habitation) foundations examining prior notions based on size and presence of amu (coral). We also tested whether post molds are evident in the interior of tia-seu-lupe (pigeon-catching mounds) from Simon Best's (1993) hypothesis that these tia were used as habitations for paramount chiefs and whether smaller post molds were evident on the rays of star mounds to evaluate David Herdrich's (1991) hypothesis of the construction of blinds to conceal contest participants. Further, we sought to identify subsurface construction characteristics of fale features, stratigraphic differences between burials and ufi (yam) pits, which are often represented by oval arrangements of boulders, and stratigraphic variances between masi pits (breadfruit storage locales) and mailei (traps for pigs or humans). The use of GPR, drones, magnetometers, and other devices, in addition to prevalent technology such as GPS, help to further elucidate the prehistory of the Samoan Archipelago.