Linguistic Anthropology Commons^™

Can Palm Logs Float? Evaluating The Physical Viability Of Raft Transport For Rapa Nui Moai, Carl Philipp Lipo, Terry L. Hunt

Anthropology Datasets

Recent suggestions that palm log rafts may have transported moai statues on Rapa Nui require evaluation of whether fresh palm wood can provide sufficient buoyancy for multi-ton cargo. This analysis integrates experimental flotation tests, structural analyses of palm stem anatomy, and buoyancy calculations using modern palm analogs to reconstruct the extinct Rapa Nui palm. Fresh palm logs sink when placed in water because of their internal structure: stems consist of approximately 20% liquid by volume, contained within thousands of water-filled vascular tubes, surrounded by a thin, brittle cortex. This yields effective densities of 800-1,200 kg/m³ that approach or exceed seawater …

Reassessing The Role Of Polynesian Rats (Rattus Exulans) In Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Deforestation: Faunal Evidence And Ecological Modeling, Terry L. Hunt, Carl P. Lipo

Anthropology Datasets

The role of introduced Polynesian rats (Rattus exulans) in the deforestation of Rapa Nui remains a contentious issue. Several critics, including Mieth and Bork (2010), argue that rats played a negligible role compared to human impacts. We address the role of rats through three lines of evidence: (1) a response to rats-are-neglible arguments, including problematic continental analogies and misunderstandings of seed predation impacts; (2) analysis of rat remains from Anakena excavations (1986-2005) showing that rats decreased by 93% over time, contradicting claims they served as a “fallback food” following resource depletion; and (3) ecological modeling demonstrating that introduced …

01 Traditional Songs Introduction, William Donner

Sikaiana Traditional Songs

This is an introduction to Sikaiana songs. It includes a discussion of the social cultural context of song composition and singing. There is a discussion of the different features of song production and a list of different song genres. Most of the discussion is concerned with traditional song expression that are part of derived form changes associated with colonialism and modernization.

7 Appendices To Sikaiana Dictionary, William Donner

Sikaiana Dictionary

Appendices to the Sikaiana Dictionary including personal names, place names, English/Pijin borrowings and illustrations.

Max E. Stanton's Review Of Stephen A. Wurm And Shiro Hattori's Language Atlas Of The Pacific Area, Part I: New Guinea Area, Oceania, Australia, Max E. Stanton

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

Saka, Fane Telena, Unknown Sikaiana

Sikaiana Traditional Songs

These are two saka, songs composed for a secret lover (hina) in traditional Sikaiana society. I know that one was collected from Fane Telena, the other I found in my notes.

Tani Various, Sikaiana People

Sikaiana Traditional Songs

These are transcriptions of several tani or funeral dirges. Tani are composed after a person dies. I do not have a record of who gave me the transcriptions, most likely John Kilatu and/or Reuben Tenai. I do not have recordings for these songs.

Mako Hatu Composed Songs, Reuben Tenai, John Kilatu Dr

Sikaiana Traditional Songs

Two traditional composed songs (mako hatu) that I found in my notes, most likely from John Kilatu and/or Reuben Tenai.

003 Tehui Atahu, Oral Legend

Sikaiana Oral Stories

The Story of Tehui Atahu

This is a transcript and translation of 12 pages given to me by Edwin Huilani on Sikaiana, in 1981-2. The story is about the founder hero of Sikaiana, Tehui Atahu. The back page of the manuscript is dated August 1972. Although I do not know the source, the story follows closely the stories that I heard on Sikaiana, although there are several different versions with minor differences. The original and translation should be of interest to Sikaiana people and might be an aid in language preservation.

05 Holau, The Voyage Of Mr. Boe, Mark Etua, Pita Sharples, Priscilla Taulupo, Bill Donner

Sikaiana Oral Stories

This is the story of the last (or one of the last) voyages (holau) from Sikaiana. It was recorded by Mark Etua as part of linguistic research done by Peter Sharples among the Sikaiana. The transcription into the Sikaiana language was done by Priscilla Taulupo and the rough translation by Bill Donner (sorry for any errors).

Traditionally, Sikaiana people were master voyagers, capable of traveling hundreds of kilometers. This voyage was probably conducted in the 1920s by a trader for Lever Brothers in his dinghy when he was short of supplies. He had several Sikaiana people help, including …

04 Taupule, A Woman From Tuvalu, Johnson Siota, Pita Sharples Dr, Priscilla Taulupo, Bill Donner

Sikaiana Oral Stories

This recording was made by Johnson Siota was part of linguistic research conducted by Dr. Pita Sharples among the Sikaiana people of the Solomon Islands n the 1960s. The transcription in Sikaiana is by Priscilla Taulupo and the rough translation is by Bill Donner. The story of Taupule was well known to Sikaiana people during my stays in the 1980s on Sikaiana. She came from the Tuvalu and was dropped off on Sikaiana by a trader during her pregnancy, sometime in the late 1800s. She warned traders that life would change from contact with Europeans. her descendants felt a certain …