A micro-geoarchaeological investigation of a cultivation pit (maite) on Teti'aroa atoll, Central-East Polynesia

Cultivation pits represented the principal form of horticultural features developed by past atoll communities in Central-East Polynesia (CEP), and they are still utilised on some atolls in Oceania. The majority of information about the use of cultivation pits in CEP derives from ethnographic and preliminary archaeological investigations. The lack of excavations with rigorous stratigraphic sampling and analyses has constrained the recovery of environmental information associated with these agro-technical features. Using a combination of geoarchaeological techniques, including field observations, physico-chemical analyses and soil micromorphology, this study focuses on sedimentary deposits from a cultivation pit (MAITE-01) on Teti'aroa atoll, in the Society Islands. We demonstrate how micro-geoarchaeological investigations can advance research and offer new interpretations to study past human interactions within environments long considered “lost causes” to detailed archaeostratigraphic interpretation. High-resolution geoarchaeological techniques reveal details about pit construction and provide indirect evidence of the integration of human-animal interaction into the horticultural system.