Archaeology Magazine - May/June 2018 - 6

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Archaeological
Institute of America

OUR SHARED
HUMANITY

OFFICERS

am recalling a trip that I took to Hawaii last year to deliver a lecture in Honolulu for
the Hawaii Society of the Archaeological Institute of America. While there, I was able
to spend a week on the Big Island. In addition to enjoying the spectacular scenery and
local hospitality, I visited several archaeological sites, among them the Place of Refuge,
a sanctuary with a heiau, or temple, and fish ponds, and another sacred site where a lava
outcrop is covered with petroglyphs depicting humans, birds, and turtles. Having spent
my career working around the Mediterranean and Middle East, I was struck by the
obvious differences in environment and culture. At the same time, I marveled at our shared
humanity, and especially the sense of adventure
and confidence that must have led Polynesians
to travel in canoes thousands of miles across
the Pacific Ocean to the Hawaiian Islands.
They accomplished this incredible journey of
discovery without GPS or maps, relying instead
on an intimate knowledge of the stars and the
sea passed down orally over generations.
Place of Refuge, Big Island, Hawaii
When the Polynesians first arrived, probably around one thousand years ago, the Hawaiian Islands were not the tropical paradise they are today. There were few edible plants,
and the only mammals were bats and seals, which were capable of reaching the islands by
air and sea. The indigenous species had no defenses because there were no natural predators. The human ability to adapt to and modify the environment is evident in Hawaii. The
Polynesians transported with them in their canoes coconuts, breadfruit, and other plants,
as well as pigs, dogs, and chickens.
The descendants of these people developed a highly stratified social structure governed by strict taboos (kapu in Hawaiian), a rich cosmology, and a spoken language that
includes words for different kinds of lava, now widely used by scientists. They accomplished this on the most isolated archipelago on Earth without having metals, writing,
wheels, beasts of burden, sheep or goats, wool, linen, or cotton-all of which those of
us who specialize in the ancient Near East take for granted.
The early settlement of Hawaii showcases the traits that make us human, including
resilience and adaptability. Above all, it is a testament to the universal desire to expand
the boundaries of our knowledge beyond the known world. In much the same way, I
think that archaeology does, too.

President

Jodi Magness
First Vice President

Laetitia La Follette
Vice President for Outreach and Education

Ethel Scully
Vice President for Research and Academic Affairs

Bonna Wescoat
Vice President for Cultural Heritage

Elizabeth S. Greene
Vice President for Societies

Ann Santen
Treasurer

David Ackert
Executive Director

Ann Benbow
Chief Operating Officer

Kevin Quinlan

GOVERNING BOARD
Elie Abemayor
David Adam
Deborah Arnold
David Boochever
Bruce Campbell
Thomas Carpenter
Jane Carter, ex officio
Arthur Cassanos
Derek Counts
Julie Herzig Desnick
Joshua Gates
Elizabeth M. Greene
James Jansson
Lisa Kealhofer
Morag Kersel
Mark Lawall
Deborah Lehr
Thomas Levy
Kathleen Lynch
Tina Mayland
H. Bruce McEver
Barbara Meyer
Margaret Morden
Sarah Parcak
A. Phokion Potamianos
Kevin Quinlan, ex officio
Connie Rodriguez
Robert Rothberg
Monica L. Smith
Claudia Valentino, ex officio
Maria Vecchiotti
Michael Wiseman
John Yarmick
Past President

Andrew Moore
Trustees Emeriti

Brian Heidtke
Norma Kershaw
Charles S. La Follette
Legal Counsel

Mitchell Eitel, Esq.
Sullivan & Cromwell, LLP
Archaeological Institute of America

Jodi Magness

44 Beacon Street * Boston, MA 02108
archaeological.org

President, Archaeological Institute of America
6

ARCHAEOLOGY * May/June 2018

http://www.archaeological.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - May/June 2018