Indigenous Hawaiian Fishing Practices in Kahikinui, Maui: A Zooarchaeological Approach

Abstract

Hawai'i's rich archaeological and ethnographic records provide an opportunity to investigate the lifestyles and foodways of the people of all social ranks and genders, (including elites, priests, non-elites, women, and men) in this highly stratified society. Throughout the islands, indigenous Hawaiian foodways depended heavily on marine harvests, including fish, shellfish, and seaweeds. The sea provided the primary protein-contributing elements of the diet across social classes. However, marine foods may have been especially important to non-elites who had less access to domestic animals such as pigs and dogs for fat and protein (Kirch and O'Day 2003; Titcomb 1972). Ethnohistorically, Hawaiian marine resource exploitation strategies were recorded in some detail (Buck 1957; Handy et al. 1991; Titcomb 1972 [1952], 1978; Valeri 1985). Titcomb (1972:1) argued: "The sea was a great reservoir of food for Hawaiians