Evidence for size increase in an exploited mollusc: humped conch (Strombus gibberulus) at Chelechol ra Orrak,Palau from ca. 3000–0 BP

Past research has suggested that the humped conch (Strombus gibberulus), a species common in many prehistoric archaeological sites in the Pacific, declines in size and/or abundance over time. Explanations for this phenomenon largely revolve around the possibility that they were overharvested by human populations. In this study, we measured the length and width of over 1400 individual specimens of S. gibberulus shells recovered from the site of Chelechol ra Orrak in Palau, western Micronesia, in deposits dating from ca. 3000 BP to the present. Statistical analysis indicates that in contrast to previous reports, there is a significant size increase for this taxon through time which may be the result of a combination of anthropogenic and environmental factors. We discuss variables influencing mollusc size and suggest that, given the complexities of their interactions and the data limitations of archaeomalacological assemblages, unambiguous determination of the cause(s) of molluscan size change may not always be possible.     

Geophysical and Archaeological Investigation of the Survivor‐Camp of the Antelope (1783) in the Palau Islands,Western Pacific

Survivor‐camps were an unavoidable and particular category of terrestrial shore‐camp when European scientific, mercantile and imperial interests began to impinge significantly on the islands of the Pacific Ocean. In 1783 the packet Antelope was wrecked in the Palau Islands and the account of the ‘new’ archipelago, first published in 1788, was, after Cook's voyages, the most popular Pacific text in the late‐18th century. The results of archaeological and geophysical research at the camp reported here contribute to a nuanced account of early culture contact and of survivor‐camp behaviour, demonstrating the significance of shore‐camp remains for understanding maritime societies. © 2010 The Authors     

Dietary patterns during the late prehistoric/historic period in Cikobia island (Fiji): insights from stable isotopes and dental pathologies

The dietary patterns of eight adults and one child interred in the Korotuku burial mound (Cikobia, northern Fiji), dated from the late prehistoric/historic period (around AD 1850), have been investigated using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope signatures and dental and oral pathologies. Bone collagen isotopic compositions showed that (1) males and females had similar diets in terms of terrestrial C₃ resources and marine fish components and proportions; (2) the proportion of marine fish comprised around 25% of the protein fraction of the diet, and the proportion of vegetal food was high; and (3) one canid that was also studied had a different diet, probably rich in shellfish. Oral and dental examinations of the humans evidenced (1) a low level of dental macrowear, (2) a high rate of carious lesions—interproximal and cervical—of about 15%, and (3) a low amount of abscessing, as well as the presence of alveolar bone recession and calculus in most of the adults. This evidence suggests a diet relying mainly on vegetal food with very limited shellfish consumption. When viewed in the light of ethnohistoric information, this pattern suggests a particular sociocultural behaviour, including food selection, since the analyses of the canid remains indicate that more diversified food resources were available than those consumed by the humans. Overall observations suggest that the deceased in the Korotuku burial mound might be members of an elite living on the island, thus pointing to possible social stratification in the late prehistoric/historic Cikobia community.     

抗战时期的国民参政员对海外华侨的统战思想

国民参政会是抗战时期的一个统一战线组织,华侨是中国抗战的重要力量,因此,每届国民参政会,针对如何团结华侨问题都有大量的提案。在太平洋战争爆发以前,提案的主题主要围绕怎样发动华侨支持抗战而展开;在太平洋战争爆发以后,提案的主题主要转变为怎样支持华侨及准备支持华侨的复员工作。本文主要分析国民参政员在这两个不同的时期关于华侨问题提案的特点以及参政员对华侨统战思想侧重点的变化。     

国际机遇的利用与美国向太平洋的领土扩张——“路易斯安那购买”和“阿拉斯加购买”新探

18、19世纪之交英法争夺欧洲霸权和世界殖民霸权的斗争使拿破仑决定将法国的北美殖民地路易斯安那卖给美国,19世纪中期俄国在克里米亚战争中败于英法之手的窘境迫使亚历山大二世向美国兜售俄国的殖民地阿拉斯加。美国在上述英法争霸、克里米亚战争和波兰起义等时期,通过推行对欧洲列强的中立政策和实施灵活的外交策略,抓紧国际机遇,坐收渔翁之利,先后将这两块殖民地收入囊中,实现了将领土扩张到太平洋之滨的愿望。"路易斯安那购买"和"阿拉斯加购买"都是欧洲列强纷争和美国充分利用国际机遇的结果。推行适合本国国情和世界形势的中立的外交政策和充分利用国际机遇的策略,是美国崛起的一个重要原因。     

Osteometric Variation in Domestic Dogs (Canis familiaris) from the Kodiak Archipelago,Alaska

The research presented here is a re‐examination of domestic dog (Canis familiaris) remains from the Uyak site on Kodiak Island, Alaska. Previous analyses suggest there were two breeds of dog represented in this archaeological assemblage, primarily on the basis of dog cranial size. Here, we use a series of metric and nonmetric traits to test the argument that these ‘breeds’ actually represent a population of male and female dogs. On the basis of the results presented here, we argue the metric and nonmetric data produced by this study suggest that the dogs in this sample are male and female specimens, rather than two distinct breeds. The Uyak assemblage is the largest collection of domestic dog from Kodiak, and these results have the potential to contribute to our understanding of human–dog relationships in the archipelago. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Trade agreements and strategic rivalry in Asia

The Asia Pacific is currently beset by two contradictory trends: growing economic interdependence and deepening strategic rivalry. Amidst these trends, new sets of regional trade agreements are being negotiated, primarily the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). This article argues that these proposals represent a third phase of competitive regionalism in the Asia Pacific, which will be more complex than the previous two rounds. This complexity is driven by two factors: this time, rivalry is not over scope or leadership but regional order; and this time there is a greater number of leading players in the rivalry.     

Government Publishing in the German Pacific 1885–1914

Germany’s colonial experience in the Pacific was both relatively short (1884–1914) and also quite dispersed. In addition to administrative staff and office, a well-functioning colonial administration also required the means to propagate and document its administrative regulations and decisions. This article examines how the administrative offices in German Samoa and German New Guinea went about their official printing needs. In the Samoa case, the Germans ‘inherited’ a well-established printing environment, facilitated by newspapers. Here the official publications of the colonial government were merely additional print-jobs. In German New Guinea, however, no such infrastructure pre-existed and the German administration had to start its own press. Over time, the government gazette added no official sections and, had World War I not intervened, was on track to became a local newspaper.     

Stealing the Water of Life: The Historicity of Contemporary Social Relationships

Pacific anthropology has predominantly concentrated on documenting the pre‐contact past or an acculturated present. This article explores an alternative focus on contemporary relationships, seen as both exhibiting historicity and agentive power. The control over scarce but vitally important resources, such as land and water, is the responsibility of the village leadership in the Tokelau atolls. The regulation of social behaviour establishes fecundity and agency in a manner that lends order to the universe. However, the achievement of a position of command, in particular over rights to land, is dependent upon knowledge of the past and of genealogical connections in the present. Claims to positions are commonly challenged, and this dynamic of contested ascendancy means that the past is always significantly present, although in different shapes.     

Why so many wings? A re-examination of avian skeletal part representation in the south-central Northwest Coast,USA

Ten years ago, I summarized hypotheses for the abundance of bird wing elements in archaeological sites and rejected the hypothesis that differential preservation caused this pattern in the Pacific Northwest Coast (Bovy, 2002). I also noted that distal wing elements (relative to proximal wings) dominated several assemblages in the Gulf of Georgia sub-region. I re-examine this issue, focusing on behavioral hypotheses for the abundance of distal wings. Ethnographic evidence is used to formulate predictions for the cultural explanations, which are tested using data from the late Holocene Watmough Bay (45SJ280) site, where distal wings comprise 98% of the large duck assemblage (n = 4195). Diving ducks, dabbling ducks, geese, loons and grebes all have more distal wing bones than expected, and were likely caught using submerged nets. The most plausible explanation for the prevalence of distal wing bones is either that only the distal wings were transported back to the sites (perhaps attached to skins) and/or the distal wings were discarded separately during cooking.