| dc.description.abstract | This thesis examines the production and distribution of ancestral Polynesian pottery on Tutuila Island, American Samoa and evaluates the extent of intra-island interactions. Currently, very little is known about ceramic production and exchange in Samoa. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is used to source clay and temper material to raw clay sources. Ceramic attribute analysis is used to identify technological styles, which will determine specific production groups. Variations of clays and tempers within a site determine the extent of exchange that occurred. By combining ceramic analysis and LA-ICP-MS, this research will help determine the number of production groups per village and demonstrate exchange patterns between villages. In 2006 Eckert argued that the presence of two technological styles in ancestral Polynesian pottery reflects two different production groups on the Samoan archipelago. Using LA-ICP-MS and ceramic attribute analysis, I show that exchange has occurred between four production groups. | en |
