Quantitative Analysis of Shell Material Collected from the South Point Dune Site during the 1953–1958 Excavations

Abstract

Pu‘u Ali‘i, also known as the South Point Sand Dune Site (H1), is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Hawaiian Islands. It was excavated by Kenneth Emory and Yosihiko Sinoto of the Bishop Museum, and William Bonk of the University of Hawai‘i, Hilo between 1953 and 1958. The fishhooks which were recovered from the site led to the first material-based chronology for the Hawaiian Islands. Along with the fishhooks and other artifacts, a bulk sample from one of the excavation units was also collected. The focus of this current study was to analyze the shell material from this bulk sample to look for changes over time that may reflect a change in mollusk preference in the diet. A total of 2988.16 grams of shell material from three arbitrary sixinch levels was evaluated, representing an estimated habitation time frame of 350 years. Marine shells from 17 families were found to be represented in the material, along with miscellaneous fragments that could not be identified. The results of the analysis show several trends in the quantity of shells present in the different levels of the excavation, but give no indication of an overt shift in diet over time at Pu‘u Ali‘i.