Patrick Nunn spoke at the Fiji Museum 24 May 2002. Here are some Notes. I am organizing them along the same lines I plan on organizing the CD, that is, as objects to discover that tell us about the Lapita:
SHERDS
- The shel-comb dentate marking of Lapita pottery is distinctive to the Lapita
- Other than on Naigani (which came from Solomon Islands) all pottery is made of local sand, which means the migration included potters, not just pots. see also SAND & CLAY
- This, plus the density of the pottery, lead us to believe that this was a deliberate colonisation, estimated by Pat Nunn to be 50-100 boats of 30-40 people each
- Early limited "plainware" finds points to small recon groupds preceding major migration
POLLEN
- Pollen found in swamps shows that dry grassland-savana in the interior of Vitu Levu predated humans, which goes against belief that the first humans found forests and proceeded to deforest them.
BONES
- in Mago of extinct Megapodius Alimentum in hearth with blade marks from stone axe show they ate these birds
SAND & CLAY
- Other than on Naigani (which came from Solomon Islands) all pottery is made of local sand, which means the migration included potters, not just pots.
SWAMP
- Swamp cores show changing water levels and greenery... no evidence of massive human affects at Dovara
GEOGRAPHY
- chose area with fringing reefs with openings for boats
- usually chose leeward sites (protect boats from trade winds)
- Cultural-layer/ Sand/ Cultural-layer shows periods of heavy human use
- Charcoal gives dates
- -->GAME/QUIZ : choose which sites are likely Lapita settlements
STROMBUS
- Shells decrease in size and increase in quantity as Lapita predate on them (Seputu pit 56 graph)
BOATS (need object)
- None ever found, yet the Lapita migrated across vast oceans, from China region
- Suspected that giiant bamboo of indonesia was used to build the boats
- Lapita languages had words for boat, rudder, sail so obviously they had this technology (???--> how do we know they're language???)
- 50 - 100 boats each holding 30-40 people, carried pigs, taro, etc.
BREADFRUIT
- Genealogy shows long trip
TONGA POTTERY BARRIER
- Pottery stops here, so they stopped migrating at this point(?)
MYSTERY
- Yasawa islands are a barrier, yet nothing found there -->Terry Hunt?
- Votua story: found by chance, jumping up and down, get them to tell this story on camera