Extinct and Extirpated Birds and Other Vertebrates in the Faunal Assemblage of Hālawa Cave, a Rockshelter in North Hālawa Valley, O’ahu, Hawai’i
Date
06/01/15 12:00 AM
Contributor
Advisor
Department
Instructor
Depositor
Speaker
Researcher
Consultant
Interviewer
Narrator
Transcriber
Annotator
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Volume
14
Number/Issue
1
Starting Page
65
Ending Page
78
Alternative Title
Abstract
Hālawa Cave (50-Oa-B01-020) is a rockshelter located about 4.8 km inland of Pearl Harbor in the North Hālawa Valley, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i. Evidence of Native Hawaiian occupation is found in an approximately 50 cm deep midden, inside of the 6 x 8 m/sq
shelter. The site appears to have been intermittently occupied as a base for local resource
procurement beginning no later than the fifteenth century and continued to be used into
the nineteenth century. Wood cutting was an important activity associated with the site.
The vertebrate fauna is represented by a sample of 65 specimens including fish, bird
and mammal bones. This assemblage provides evidence of limited vertebrate animal
use, resource procurement areas, local paleoenvironment, and butchering. Fish species
dominate the assemblage. Two of four avian species are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands
and globally extinct, or extirpated from O‘ahu. Remains of the extinct O‘ahu moa-nalo
(Thambetochen xanion) and the endangered Hawaiian Petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis)
occur in sediments from the occupation of the site, however only the Hawaiian Petrel is
firmly associated with human occupation. Introduced species, including Red Junglefowl
(Gallus gallus), dog (Canis lupus familiaris) and pig (Sus scrofa) were significant
food sources consumed at the site. The vertebrate assemblage reflects a broad based
procurement strategy with each vertebrate class being a significant contributor to the biomass represented in the assemblage.
Description
Keywords
Hālawa Cave, Wood cutting, avian species, Hawaiian Petrel, O‘ahu, vertebrate fauna, local paleoenvironment, resource procurement areas, butchering, fish species, rock shelter, bones
Citation
Extent
14 pages
Format
Geographic Location
Time Period
Related To
Related To (URI)
Table of Contents
Rights
Rights Holder
Local Contexts
Collections
Email libraryada-l@lists.hawaii.edu if you need this content in ADA-compliant format.