Aina Archaeology

🐦 Lāʻie i ka ʻēheu o na manu.
Lāʻie, borne on the wings of birds.
Lāʻie is a gathering place for people. Twin girls were born at a place now bearing the name of Lāʻie, Oʻahu. The older twin, Lā’iekawai, was reared by her grandmother, Waka, and was said to rest on the wings of birds. The younger, Lā’ielohelohe, was taken by a kahuna to rear.
ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #1938

Our team found a small to medium-sized animal vertebrate in our latest dig. Leave your guesses about which animal it belongs to in the comments 👇

When we're in the lab, we ensure to catalog each shell and midden as accurately as possible 🐚

Tanya is spending her Aloha Friday looking through her old field notes 📔 Field notes are crucial for capturing detailed observations and ensuring data accuracy. Looking through previous field notes allows for deeper insights and understanding, supports ongoing research, and can inspire new research questions.

ʻŌlelo Noʻeau of Kualoa ⛰️

Any guesses on what this could be? 🤔🔍

ʻŌlelo Noʻeau of Kailua ❤️

Our team discovered the smallest rodent mandible 🐭 This is the lower jawbone of a rodent and is helpful for identifying the species they belong to, such as a mouse or similar small animal.

Ka lā ikiiki o Honolulu.
The intensely warm days of Honolulu.
People from the country often claim that Honolulu is excessively warm.
ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #1423

Ka ua Kukalahale o Honolulu.
The Kukalahale rain of Honolulu.
The rain that announces itself to the homes by the pattering it makes on the roofs as it falls. Often mentioned in songs.
ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #1575

Ka ulu lā’au ma kai.
The forest on the seaward side.
Refers to the masts of the ships that came into the harbors of Lahaina or Honolulu.
ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #1625

This stunning glass bead from our dig is ready for its close-up! 📸

Our faunal bone collection provides insight into past environments, animal populations, and the activities of our kūpuna. They help archaeologists reveal how landscapes were used and managed, changes in wildlife over time, and the effects of historic and recent land use.

| Did someone say tea party?

Nothing beats returning to the lab after a day in the field than to take a closer look at our finds 🔍 Check out this itty bitty sand dollar!

Behind the scenes at ʻĀina Archaeology ⛏️ Setting up for a test unit excavation with a few of our trusty hand tools!

~ We can't help but wonder what events took place here 🤔

Hauʻoli Lā Kamehameha! Today we commemorate the life, legacy, and moʻolelo of King Kamehameha, and celebrate Hawaiʻi's rich history, culture, and people.

We're hiring temporary (min. 3-month commitment) full-time Field Technicians! ⛏️ Find the job description on ainaarch.com and email your resume to [email protected].

Mahalo to the girls of STEMworks for stopping by our ʻĀina office today to learn more about archaeology! We hope to see more wāhine in science as you all grow in your education and careers ⚙️🌱

May is Preservation Awareness Month!

At ʻĀina Archaeology, we do our best to preserve the archaeological features of wahi pana in Hawaiʻi, to learn about the ways of our kūpuna continually, and to educate others about the significance of protecting and conserving our culture for future generations.

Mahalo to the Historic Hawaii Foundation: HHF for being leaders of preservation efforts. Throughout the month, the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation is highlighting a range of historic sites throughout the pae ʻāina and the communities that steward them on their blog and social media 💚

Our superstar field director Amanda celebrates 5 years with ʻĀina today! Mahalo for all you do and have done to lead our crews and our organization to success through the years. 💚

Ending the work week with a double dose of Maui magic. Happy Aloha Friday 🌈🤙🏼

| But how do we take a selfie? 📞

Aloha Lā Lei 🌿🌺 from our ʻĀina Archaeology ʻohana to yours!

As of 2014, the naturally occurring vegetation in Honuaʻula is dominated by non-native grasses and weeds, kiawe (Prosopis pallid), koa haole (Leucaena glauca), and klu (Acacia farnesiana) interspersed with small stands of wiliwili, ʻaʻaliʻi, ʻilima (Sidafallax), and ʻuhaloa (Waltheria indica).

Our research (2022) affirmed the presence of these species above and additional findings of native species such as ʻakoko (Euphorbia cf. celastroides), ʻape (Alocasia macrorrhiza), ʻāheahea (Chenopodium oahuense), niu (Cocos nucifera), naio (Myoporum sandwicense), kuluʻī (Nototrichium cf. sandwicense), and kōpiko (cf. Psychotria sp.). Non-native species were also found including mango (Mangifera), buffel grasses (Cenchrus ciliaris), and lantana shrubs (Lantana camera).

During traditional Hawaiian times, pili would have been a source of thatch material with the grasslands maintained by fire. The hardwoods and medicinal plants would have been also gathered for household purposes with some mesic areas converted from forest to fields of Polynesian introduced plants ʻuala (sweet potato) and dryland kalo (taro) (Pratt and Gon 1998:127).

During the mid-19th century, however, much of the inland areas had been in use for commercial sugar and potato ventures and by the late 19th most of the lands above the Mākena to Keoneʻoʻio Road had been given over to cattle ranching, which resulted in a change in the dominant plant community.

Vy has been foundational to our team at ʻĀina Archaeology and DTL Hawaii, providing invaluable support and expertise. We are sad to say a hui hou to our amazing accountant.

We’ve been lucky to work beside such a remarkable and intelligent wahine. We are excited for the next chapter in her journey and do not doubt that she will continue to achieve greatness in all her endeavors.

Prior to human modification, the lower slopes of Mākena would have supported pili and kawelu grasslands with the shrublands of ʻaʻaliʻi, koʻokoʻolau, ʻūlei, and other shrubs.

The dry and mesic forests would have included ʻōhiʻa, koa, lama, wiliwili, olopua, along with rarer tree species including halapepe and olopua in the gulches and areas that are less disturbed.