Katayama, Kazumichi; Nunn, Patrick; Kumar, Roselyn; Matararaba, Sepeti; Minagawa, Matsuo; Oda, Hirotaka

Author(s)

Katayama, Kazumichi

Nunn, Patrick

Kumar, Roselyn

Matararaba, Sepeti

Minagawa, Matsuo

Oda, Hirotaka

Publication Date

2007

Abstract

Very little is known about the nature of the first humans to occupy the western South Pacific Islands, the so-called Lapita people. This is a final report on the osteological analysis of the skeleton named Mana, which was excavated at a Lapita Culture Complex site called Naitable on Moturiki Island in central Fiji in 2002. The Mana skeleton was reasonably well preserved. The skull is without doubt the best preserved of the Lapita-associated human skeletons ever described. Its major parts were nearly intact and reconstructed to an almost complete state. The skeleton proved to be an approximately 40-60 year old female. Radiocarbon dating of bone from the skeleton, and other archaeological considerations, place the burial around the middle of the first millennium BC (around 700 BC). In the present paper, osteological features of the cranium, mandible and infracranial skeleton of Mana are described very precisely for detailed comparative studies in the future.

Citation

People and Culture in Oceania, v.23, p. 73-98

ISSN

1349-5380

Link

https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/8143

Publisher

Japanese Society for Oceanic Studies

Title

Osteological Description of the Lapita-associated Human Skeleton Discovered on Moturiki Island, Fiji

Type of document

Journal Article

Entity Type

Publication

Author(s)	Katayama, Kazumichi Nunn, Patrick Kumar, Roselyn Matararaba, Sepeti Minagawa, Matsuo Oda, Hirotaka
Publication Date	2007
Abstract	Very little is known about the nature of the first humans to occupy the western South Pacific Islands, the so-called Lapita people. This is a final report on the osteological analysis of the skeleton named Mana, which was excavated at a Lapita Culture Complex site called Naitable on Moturiki Island in central Fiji in 2002. The Mana skeleton was reasonably well preserved. The skull is without doubt the best preserved of the Lapita-associated human skeletons ever described. Its major parts were nearly intact and reconstructed to an almost complete state. The skeleton proved to be an approximately 40-60 year old female. Radiocarbon dating of bone from the skeleton, and other archaeological considerations, place the burial around the middle of the first millennium BC (around 700 BC). In the present paper, osteological features of the cranium, mandible and infracranial skeleton of Mana are described very precisely for detailed comparative studies in the future.
Citation	People and Culture in Oceania, v.23, p. 73-98
ISSN	1349-5380
Link	https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/8143
Publisher	Japanese Society for Oceanic Studies
Title	Osteological Description of the Lapita-associated Human Skeleton Discovered on Moturiki Island, Fiji
Type of document	Journal Article
Entity Type	Publication

Osteological Description of the Lapita-associated Human Skeleton Discovered on Moturiki Island, Fiji

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