Phosphates and bones: An analysis of the courtyard of marae Manunu, Huahine, Society Islands, French Polynesia

Abstract

The investigations at marae Manunu (Figure 1) were part of an archaeological project called ‘Local development and regional interactions’, a collaboration between the Kon-Tiki Museum, B.P. Bishop Museum, Oslo University, and the Service de la Culture et du Patrimoine, Tahiti, French Polynesia. The project was conducted from 2001 to 2004 on the island of Huahine in the Society Islands. One team from the B.P. Bishop Museum in Hawai’i, led by Dr Y.H. Sinoto and E. Komori, investigated a submerged coastal habitation site on the base of the slope of Mata’ire’a hill behind Maeva Village. Another team from the Kon-Tiki Museum, led by the first author, investigated marae sites around Maeva village, as well as several other marae on the island.