The Mauna Kea Adz Quarry: Technological Analyses and Experimental Tests. (Dissertation Abstract).

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to demonstrate the wealth of behavioral information that can be obtained from the study of Polynesian stone adz manufacturing residues. This is accomplished through a combined program of technological analyses and experimental tests. An exhaustive review of the literature on Polynesian adz studies reveals that little attention has been given to the technological aspects of adz manufacture, and the present study intends to fill this gap. The focal point of this research is debitage assemblages from the Mauna Kea Adz Quarry on the Island of Hawaii. At the Quarry, it is possible to observe the patterning of flakes, cores, and partially finished tools, from which it is possible to infer raw material procurement strategies and reduction sequences. The blank/preform and flake assemblages from four small shipping stations and the blank/preform collection from a large debitage pile form the sample from the Quarry. These assemblages are analyzed to determine manufacturing techniques and core reduction strcltegies, which result in postulating a manufacturing sequence. Combined with these technological analyses, a two-part experimental program was carried out. The aim of the first part is to characterize the physical properties of the material available at the Quarry, the results of which are utilized in predicting what types of material would be preferred. The aim of the second part is to make adz preforms by traditional methods, which provided a wealth of behavioral information on reduction strategies. The combined research results in presenting several behavioral propositions relating to craft specialization, organization of labor, differential skills, and production estimates. Finally, the present research raises several questions for further study.