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A Millennium of Human Ecodynamics in Hawai'i: Islands as Model Systems (Anthropology Colloquium)

Colloquium: College-Wide Events: Agricultural & Resource Economics: Environmental Science Policy & Management | November 9 | 4-6 p.m. | 160 Kroeber Hall

Speaker/Performer: Professor Patrick V. Kirch, Department of Anthropology - UC, Berkeley

Sponsor: Anthropology, Department of

Since 2001, the Hawai'i Biocomplexity Project has investigated long-term
human ecodynamics in the Hawaiian Islands, using a multi-disciplinary
approach. This talk summarizes some of the key findings of that research.

Professor Kirch will argue that Hawai'i offers a model system for studying
the long-term relationships between agricultural populations and their
environments. In the isolated Hawaiian Islands, natural patterns of
biogeochemical and climate gradients constrained the development of
intensive agro-ecosystems.

Two major kinds of intensive agro-ecosystems emerged over a period of
about 800 years: irrigated taro systems on the geologically older islands,
and intensive dryland (rain-fed) systems based on sweet potato and taro on
the geologically youthful islands. These systems had different capacities
for surplus production, and required different labor inputs. Late
pre-contact transformations of Hawaiian society, including systems of land
tenure and descent group organization, were closely linked to these
contrastive agro-ecosystems.

Event Contact: 510-642-3392