Kosrae State, Federated States of Micronesia

The earliest part of Kosraean history is written in archaeological remains and oral histories. Neither is a complete history, yet together they provide at least an outline of possible events. What we do know is that the island was divided into a series of independent political regions at this time, each vying with the other for power, status and dominance over key resources across the island. For the last few field seasons, I have been slowly documenting this early period through the collection of oral histories, the correlation of actual places with those described in the oral histories, and the identification and excavation of archaeological sites that span this period as well as the succeeding periods of political expansion and island unification (altogether, roughly from 1100/1200 to 1600 A.D.). The basic premise driving my research is drawn from the oral histories, which state that the southwestern section of the island contained the oldest lineages, which translates to this area being the most powerful. From here, populations expanded outward to eventually settle virtually all occupiable lands, including those lands in the island interior which have been dubbed terra incognita as they have yet to be explored and documented.

This line of research began in 1999 with our initial exploratory excavations at the site of Safonfok, in Walung, at the core of the culturally oldest part of the island (the southwestern corner). At Safonfok, we recovered the full complement of a coral fishhook manufacturing industry, as well as the technologies used in the manufacture of other very important tools and objects. Until our work at Safonfok, coral fishhooks were unknown in the archaeological record across the Pacific; Safonfok was elevated to the status of type site for this artifact type (a type site is the place where something new to the archaeological record is first recognized and described).

The photographs on this page are from my most recent projects.

This is a compound from the second of the two villages we cleared and mapped during the 2004 field season in the Upper Tofol River drainage. It is a drywall masonry style construction of loosely piled and packed basalt boulders. The village was quite extensive, consisting of several compounds, a medicine/magic-making area, a network of drainages, stone pathways, a series of seating-stone foundations for raised pole structures (features that we haven't seen at any other site before this), and a possible statue.

Photo by Bruce Brandt.

A sakau sitting stone from the first of the two villages we cleared and mapped during the 2004 field season in the Upper Tofol River drainage. The village is supposed to be the site of the “King's Revenge”, a very famous event in Kosraean history where the tyrant king (paramount chief) of Leluh was ambushed and killed. The presence of the sitting stone lends credence to the prospect of this village being of elevated status. According to the archaeological staff at the Kosrae Historic Preservation Office, the sitting stone is a very rare feature; this one represents only the second to be documented on the island. Sakau sitting stones have a special function, as described in oral history. They are used only on special occasions during the year to produce a highly potent form of this narcotic drink. This particular ceremony, according to oral history, requires the participation of a young, naked woman who must be a virgin. She is supposed to sit upon the rock with her legs spread. As the sakau is squeezed through its hibiscus mesh, it is allowed to run from the girl's breasts, down her belly and over her pubis, to then drip into a coconut shell held between her legs. According to the oral history, this produces a highly potent, very pure form of sakau.

Photo by Bruce Brandt.

Our work in the Tofol Drainage began in 2003, with the exploratory excavations of a small compound. Here two crew members screen excavated material next to the Tofol River. Oral histories have said that Tofol was one of the older settlements on the island, nearly as old as those in the southwest corner of the island. As it turns out, radiocarbon dates for the site show an established occupation by roughly 1200 A.D., which places this site well within this early period of political rivalry and corroborates the oral history. As we were clearing this site prior to excavation, we uncovered a stone path that ran parallel to the river. Up until our work here, stone paths were unknown in the archaeological record of the island. It was this stone path in particular which lead to our subsequent 2004 season of survey and exploration-we simply had to know where this stone path led!

The site of Likinlulem, one of the earliest villages on the island. It is located in the southwest corner of the island and is known as the home of Kosrae's hero, Nanparatak. Likinlulem is said to have given the island its political and titular system, then created a new title system for itself. Here, in 2003, my crew and I were asked to assess the potential damage to the site caused by construction of the island's first circumferential road. While none of the site appeared to have been bulldozed, portions were covered by soil and other debris.

Likinlumen is an important and significant site to Kosraeans. It is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Photo by Olivier Wortel, the local journalist.

From my latest period of fieldwork, a brief period in 2005. This is a very unusual span of columnar basalt found within a coral and basalt wall that Bruce Brandt and I stumbled upon while exploring a canoe landing/occupation site within the Utwe-Walung Marine Park on the southern coast of the island. The shape appears very similar to the back sides of statues commonly seen across the Pacific, from Sulawesi to Easter Island. The stone was too heavy to roll over, so we could not inspect its opposite site (to see whether there were any other unusual or carved features).

From my own work on Easter Island nearly 20 years ago, the shape of this piece of basalt was too reminiscent of statue forms to be ignored-a narrow head, rounded and symmetrical shoulders extending beyond the width of the head, and a torso that tapers to a slightly narrowed base. Some oral histories recorded by the Germans in 1919-1920 hint at the former presence of statues on the island, but none have been recognized in the archaeological record.