Research Catalog

The evolution of the Polynesian chiefdoms

Title: The evolution of the Polynesian chiefdoms / Patrick Vinton Kirch.
Author: Kirch, Patrick Vinton.
Publication: Cambridge [Cambridgeshire] ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1984.

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Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request for On-site Use Request Scan How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Text	Use in library	GN670 .K56 1984	Off-site

Details

Description

xii, 314 pages : illustrations; 24 cm.

Summary

"This is the first study from an archaeological perspective of the elaborate system of chiefdoms found in the islands of Polynesia. While the growth and development of complex social and political systems in this region has long interested anthropologists and ethnographers, only recently have the islands' rich sources of archaeological data been fully exploited. The author combines these new archaeological data with ethnographic and linguistic materials to present an innovative and perceptive account of the processes of culture change in the islands over three millennia. Using comparative ethnography, lexical reconstruction and direct archeological evidence, the author reconstructs the broad outlines of Ancestral Polynesian Society, from which the diverse societies of Polynesian region descended. Major processes of cultural change are analysed in detail, including colonization, adaptation to new and changing environments, development of intensive production and social conflict and competition. Dr. Kirch has conducted extensive archaeological and ethnographic research throughout Oceania, and has published numerous articles and monographs on Polynesian archaeology. His book should interest all scholars concerned with the problems of cultural adaptation and the evolution of complex sociopolitical systems. It will be especially valuable to students of Pacific Island cultures, including archaeologists, anthropologists and geographers" (Inside Book Jacket).

Series Statement

New studies in archaeology

Uniform Title

New studies in archaeology

Subjects

Genre/Form

Texts

Note

Includes index.

Bibliography (note)

Bibliography: p. 290-311.

Contents

Introduction -- Foundation. Polynesian societies and ecosystems -- Ancestral Polynesia -- Process. Dispersal, colonization, and adaption -- The demographic factor -- Changing environments -- Development and intensification of production -- Competition and conflict -- Transformation. Tonga -- Hawai'i -- Easter Island -- Epilogue.

ISBN

0521253322
9780521253321
0521273161
9780521273169

LCCN

84003249

OCLC

ocm10456857
10456857
SCSB-604943

Owning Institutions

Princeton University Library