Dans les phases ultérieures de la préhistoire polynésienne, les herminettes en pierre sont des marqueurs de statut qui présentent des variations spatiales et temporelles importantes. We also show that Tongatapu was strongly connected in a network of interaction to islands to the North, particularly Samoa, suggesting that these islands had permanent populations.Įs Les analyses typologiques et géochimiques des herminettes et autres outils lithiques ont joué un rôle essentiel pour identifier les directions des premiers mouvements migratoires dans le Pacifique occidental. The site shows a wide variety of adze types however, if raw material origin is taken into account, emerging standardisation in adze form might be detected. We present in this paper a stone adze and obsidian tool assemblage from an early Ancestral Polynesian Society Talasiu site on Tongatapu, Kingdom of Tonga. However, there is a debate when standardisation of form and manufacture appeared, whether it can be seen in earliest populations colonising the Pacific or whether it is a later development. In later phases of Polynesian prehistory, stone adzes are important status goods which show substantial spatial and temporal variation. p.En Typological and geochemical analyses of stone adzes and other stone tools have played a significant role in identifying directionality of colonisation movements in early migratory events in the Western Pacific. Objets de Pouvoir en Nouvelle Guinée, Musée d'Archéologie Nationale, Saint-Germain en Llaye. The Museum of Primitive Art, New York 1959 However, its greatest value would be that by its giving it would buy advancement in society, and those in the positions of authority would store the 'currency' so that it could finally be distributed to the next generation, giving further honour and fame to the deceased and his descendants. The ceremonial giving or kula would take many months of preparation and was perceived as the centre of economic, social and ceremonial life it not only provided prestige by the accumulation of prized objects but most importantly created a network of obligations which contributed to social stability: it also set up and reinforced trading routes.Ī third form of exchange also existed whereby, if an item, such as a stone adze blade, had a stable general value, then it could be used as currency for instance as payment for a wife or canoe. They would not immediately receive a gift in return but at a future date would receive something of at least equal value. Individuals or communities would give prized objects to a partner in the same or a different village. However, in Papua there was another highly organised system of ceremonial exchange within a certain specified area. The peoples of Melanesia had a number of systems to enable them to exchange goods, the simplest being bartering of one item for another. The beauty of the stone was such that not only was it appreciated for its usefulness but adze blades were also made for ceremonial purposes and probably also as a form of currency. It was further polished with sand and water, an extremely time-consuming and labour intensive process. The blades were very roughly shaped by 'pecking', striking with a hammer stone, to reduce them to a very basic shape which was then ground away using a sandstone. The blade was mounted in a wood haft and was so effective that it was able to carve even the ironwood supporting posts of the chiefs' houses. The extremely hard, veined, jade-like stone varies in colour according to the surrounding minerals from pale to extremely dark green, almost black. The most highly prized stone was chloromelanite which was found in the Cycloop mountains to the north of the lake. Bink, that stone and shell adze blades were traditionally used for wood carving. It was reported by the first European to travel to the Lake Santani area in 1893, missionary G. The three blades are carved from Chloromelanite
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