Publication Date
Fall 12-13-2025
Abstract
This dissertation examines the ways that natural and anthropogenic factors interacted to shape productivity in the South Kohala Field System (SKFS), an ancient agricultural system in leeward Kohala, Hawai‘i Island, over time. To answer this question, I analyze archaeological, soil nutrient, and remote sensing data (satellite data, photogrammetric digital surface models) to test which factors contributed most to agricultural productivity in the SKFS. These data suggest that soil nutrient capacity, geomorphology, and flow irrigation potential were especially important in deciding which areas to cultivate. However, agriculture in the SKFS was less about maximizing productivity but utilizing all areas possible to cultivate, even if those areas may not have been successful every year. In addition to this archaeological question, this project was developed with the goal of providing useful data for a local community's sustainability and resilience initiative. Archaeological survey suggests that community management would be positive for the landscape, particularly for preservation of archaeological sites currently negatively impacted by erosion. Adaptive reuse of agricultural features, however, would likely be better suited to upper elevations (higher rainfall, easier road access) than the area with the densest concentration of archaeological features.
Keywords
Hawai'i, archaeology, irrigated agriculture, rainfed agriculture, remote sensing, soil analysis
Project Sponsors
This dissertation received financial support from the National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant program (Grant #2207586). In addition, this project (from my initial work on my master's paper through this dissertation) was supported by funding from the Alfonso Ortiz Center for Intercultural Studies, the UNM Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA), the UNM Department of Anthropology, and Brad Wiley. As a graduate student, I was also supported by fellowships from the UNM Office of Graduate Studies.
Document Type
Dissertation
Language
English
Degree Name
Anthropology
Level of Degree
Doctoral
Department Name
Anthropology
First Committee Member (Chair)
Michael Graves
Second Committee Member
Frances Hayashida
Third Committee Member
Noa Lincoln
Fourth Committee Member
Grant Snitker
Recommended Citation
Peck, Katherine Marisa. "The South Kohala Field System: Historical Ecology of a Marginal Landscape." (2025). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/anth_etds/241