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In Surplus and in Scarcity: Agricultural Development, RiskManagement, and Political Economy on Ofu Island, AmericanSamoa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Seth Quintus ,
Melinda S. Allen  and
Thegn N. Ladefoged
Seth Quintus*
Affiliation:
Department of Geosciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102 USA
Melinda S. Allen
Affiliation:
Anthropology, School of Social Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand
Thegn N. Ladefoged
Affiliation:
Anthropology, School of Social Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand
*
seth.quintus@ndsu.edu
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Abstract

Much attention has been paid to the role of increased food production in thedevelopment of social complexity. However, increased food production is onlyone kind of agricultural process, and some changes in agronomic practiceswere geared toward stabilizing production or counteracting periodicshortfalls. The intersection between these latter strategies andsociopolitical development are poorly understood, while the long-term valueof risk management strategies is often hypothesized but empirically not welldemonstrated. We address these issues using recent archaeological data fromthe Samoan Archipelago, Polynesia. We investigate variability in, and thedevelopment of, one type of agricultural infrastructure: ditch- and-parcelcomplexes. In the context of Samoa’s high-volume rainfall, recurrentcyclones, and steep topography, these novel risk management facilitiesoffered production stability and, by extension, long-term selective benefitsto both emergent elites and the general populace. Their effectivenessagainst known hazards is demonstrated by hydrologicai modeling, while theirlong-term success is indicated by increased distribution and size over time.Additionally, based on their morphologies, funetional properties,chronology, and spatial patterning, we argue that this infrastructure couldhave been effectively used by emergent elites to gain political advantage,particularly in conjunction with environmental perturbations that createdproduction bottlenecks or shortfalls.

Se ha prestado mucha atención al papel del aumento de la producción dealimentos en el desarrollo de la complejidad social. Sin embargo, el aumentode la producción de alimentos es sólo un tipo de desarrollo y algunoscambios en las prácticas agrícolas se orientan hacia la estabilización de laproducción o a contrarrestar el déficit periódico. La intersección entreestas últimas estrategias y el desarrollo socio-político son poco conocidos,mientras que el valor a largo plazo de las estrategias de gestión de riesgosson a menudo hipótesis empíricas pero no bien demostradas. Abordamos estostemas utilizando los últimos datos arqueológicos del archipiélago de Samoa,Polynesia. Investigamos la variabilidad, y el desarrollo de un tipo deinfraestructura agrícola: los complejos de acequias y parcelas.. En elcontexto del alto volumen de precipitaciones, los ciclones recurrentes, y latopografía escarpada de Samoa, estas nuevas instalaciones de gestión deriesgos ofrecen estabilidad en la producción y beneficios selectivos deextensión a largo plazo de ambas élites emergentes y la población engeneral. Su eficacia contra riesgos conocidos se demuestra mediante lamodelización hidrológica, mientras que su éxito a largo plazo se indicamediante una mayor distribución y tamaño a lo largo del tiempo. Además,sobre la base de sus morfologías, sus propiedades funcionales, cronología ypatrón espacial, sostenemos que las élites emergentes podrían haberutilizado efectivamente esta infraestructura para ganar ventajas políticas,en particular en relación con perturbaciones ambientales que crearon cuellosde botella en la producción

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Type
Articles
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 81 , Issue 2 , April 2016 , pp. 273 - 293
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 by the Society for American Archaeology.

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