The Settlement of Marginal Polynesia: New Evidence from Henderson Island

Abstract

The settlement of Polynesia was rapid and extensive, implying purposeful exploration and successful colonization strategies. By A.C. 1000, most inhabitable islands were occupied and inter-island voyaging was a vital link sustaining small populations on ecologically-marginal landfalls—islands that pushed the capabilities of Polynesian colonization to their limits. Several islands throughout Polynesia evidence prehistoric occupation yet were not inhabited at European contact. Henderson Island, SE Polynesia, with its extreme environmental conditions, typifies such so-called “mystery islands.” The results of a recent multidisciplinary study are summarized, which include an island-wide survey, test excavations, and the recovery of the largest artifact, faunal, and floral assemblages from this part of Polynesia. These data provide new evidence for ascertaining the role of inter-island voyaging in sustaining isolated populations, and how human colonists altered insular landscapes and caused faunal extinctions. It is argued that Henderson Island prehistory is most profitably examined within the context of regional dynamics.