October 30, 2012 (Newswire.com) – The American Samoa Historic Preservation Office hosted Holger Drössler, an American Studies graduate student from Harvard University. Dr. Joel Klenck, the Territorial Archaeologist of American Samoa and a former graduate from Harvard, states, “It is wonderful that Holger could access the many historical materials we have in American Samoa. Many of the reports, pictures, letters and other materials are unique works and available only in Tutuila. Numerous scholars have sent us studies and never published their manuscripts.”

The focus of Drössler’s manuscript concerns the history of Samoa at the turn of the twentieth century. During this period, Germany, Great Britain, and the United States competed for influence over Polynesian islands. Drössler conducted research in the American Samoa Historic Preservation Office, the Office of Archives and Record Management in Tafuna, the Feliti Barstow Library in Pago Pago and at the American Samoa Community College. From these studies, Drössler obtained correspondence from U.S. Navy officials, missionary reports, letters from Samoan chiefs to U.S. governors as well as numerous photographs at the Polynesian Photo Archives at the Barstow Library.

The researcher notes, “The material I have found in American Samoa is an important part of my dissertation research, especially the local sources which are available only on the island. For instance, some of the letters written by Samoan chiefs complaining about problems with the copra trade at the beginning of the 20th century have not been taken into account by historians until now, so I am very excited to use them in my dissertation.”

Director of the Historic Preservation Office, David Herdrich, remarks, “It was opportune for our Historic Preservation Office to be able to provide access, for a scholar like Holger Drössler, to our historical documents and reports. We look forward to helping other researchers in the future.”
By Florence Aetonu-Teo, American Samoa Historic Preservation Office.

October 29, 2012 (Newswire.com) – Territorial Archaeologist of American Samoa, Dr. Joel Klenck, states a new discovery of ancient pottery in western Tutuila Island has added to archaeological knowledge regarding the distribution of ceramic manufacturing in Polynesia. At the excavation at Fangamalo in American Samoa, archaeologists retrieved an array of artifacts including ceramic sherds at various stages of firing, adzes, basalt debitage, adze preforms, fire-cracked rocks, clays of different color, volcanic glass, small wafer-thin rocks, cinders, ash and other artifacts.

Epi Suafo’a, the principal investigator of the site, remarks, “Until recently, Polynesian pottery was not discovered in western Tutuila unlike the center and eastern parts of the Island. In the last year, we have discovered ceramic material at Leone and Maloata. The amount of ceramics and range of archaeological artifacts at Fangamalo shows that the manufacture and use of pottery was not limited to central and eastern Tutuila.”

A series of one-meter square unit were excavated to a depth of nearly two meters and revealed two layers of features. The archaeology team sponsored by the American Samoan Power Authority (ASPA) and advised by the Historic Preservation Office worked during June, 2012, to complete the excavation and deliver all artifacts to ASPA’s archaeology laboratory for further analysis.

The archaeology is being conducted to keep an ASPA waterline project in compliance with a federal historic preservation law known as the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The Act requires that all federally funded projects take historic and archaeological sites into account by recording and avoiding damage to those sites whenever possible. The American Samoa Coastal Zone Management Act of 1990 also requires that construction projects in Territory be conducted in a manner to protect historic, cultural, and archaeological sites.

David Herdrich, the Director of the Historic Preservation Office, remarks that pottery manufacturing indicates craft specialization and suggests a hierarchical social organization enabling individuals to learn the technology required for this task. Herdrich notes, “The discovery at Fangamalo suggests that at one point the prehistoric inhabitants in western Tutuila had the same degree of sophistication technologically as their counterparts in the center and east of the island.”

Both professional archaeologists and volunteers participated in the Fangamalo excavation. One of the archaeologists, Jeff Toloa states, “Everyone worked well with each other. Even though the excavation was difficult, it gave everyone a great feeling of pride to contribute to the knowledge of our Polynesian ancestors and the prehistory of American Samoa.”

Significant research remains on the artifacts from the Fangamalo excavation. Joel Klenck remarks, “Our first priority is to obtain radiocarbon dates of the site to determine when prehistoric inhabitants occupied the area. Many archaeologists believe ancient Samoans abandoned the use of ceramics at around 300 to 600 AD (or about 1,400 to 1,700 years ago). The dating of the pottery from the Fangamalo site will yield more insight into when ancient Samoans used pottery and when this material was abandoned.”

By Alisi Iongi Filiaga, American Samoa Historic Preservation Office

October 29, 2012 (Newswire.com) – Directed by Dr. Joel Klenck, a team of archaeologists and volunteers excavated a prehistoric dwelling at Leone retrieving stone tools, pottery, and charred organic remains on the surface of an ancient floor.

A series of nine one-meter square units were excavated to a depth of nearly two meters revealing a pavement-like surface comprising flat stones of coral, basalt, and sedimentary rock. The excavation comprised a salvage effort to preserve archaeological remains before the construction of a shoreline revetment, by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, at the village of Leone in Tutuila Island.

The principal investigator, Klenck, remarks, “The site presented a rare opportunity to excavate a well-preserved prehistoric dwelling with many artifacts several feet below the surface of the ground.”

Epi Suafoa, an archaeologist from American Samoa, states, “Being from Leone and knowing this ‘fale’ or dwelling was about to be destroyed, we felt it was important to help preserve our Samoan heritage and retrieve whatever cultural remains we could from the site.”

The excavation at Leone was conducted to comply with a federal historic preservation law known as the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The Act requires that all federally funded projects take historic and archaeological sites into account by recording and avoiding damage to those sites. The American Samoa Coastal Zone Management Act of 1990 also requires that construction projects in Territory be conducted in a manner to protect historic, cultural, and archaeological sites.

David Herdrich, the Director of the Historic Preservation Office, remarks, “The discovery of the Leone structure so close to the shoreline evidences the importance of conducting historic preservation efforts before other sites are detrimentally affected by beach erosion.”

The Leone site has broader application for prehistoric archaeology. Klenck states, “The Leone excavation enables archaeologists to compare how beach erosion and ordinary domestic processes affect the distribution and preservation of stone tools and flakes in a confined structure. We are analyzing the size and spread of the lithic artifacts so archaeologists from other sites with stone tools can compare their data to the factors that affected artifacts at the Leone site.” The archaeologist concludes, “It was excellent that the team was able to both preserve Samoan heritage and gather important data to assist wider archaeological research.”

By Florence Aetonu-Teo, American Samoa Historic Preservation Office.

October 29, 2012 (Newswire.com) – Archaeologist Dr. Joel Klenck has nominated World War II structures at Masefau in American Samoa to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Klenck states, “The World War II features at Masefau are similar to the two-tiered domed pillboxes first identified by the late archaeologist Joseph Kennedy, which are prevalent on the island of Tutuila. However, the Masefau constructions exhibit a variation of this design and comprise non-tiered octagonal structures.”

The nomination was a result of an archaeological survey to comply with the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The Act requires that all federally funded projects take historic and archaeological sites into account by recording and avoiding damage to those sites. The American Samoa Coastal Zone Management Act of 1990 also requires that construction projects in Territory be conducted in a manner to protect historic, cultural, and archaeological sites.

David Herdrich, the Director of the Historic Preservation Office in American Samoa, states, “The martial structures at Masefau broaden our knowledge regarding the variation of designs in World War II defensive fortifications. In addition, this nomination is opportune as the government of American Samoa is preparing a tourism effort to guide former veterans and new visitors to historic properties that were built during the War.”

The fortifications at Masefau were impacted by a tsunami in 2009, which revealed the foundations of these structures. Previously, the archaeologist Joseph Kennedy advocated that separate compartments were attached to these pillbox types for ammunition storage. The Masefau fortifications exhibit no attached structures and are stand-alone units with a rearward entrance at the base of the pillboxes. Joel Klenck concludes, “The lack of separate compartments at the base of the structures at Masefau in the northeast of Tutuila Island contrasts with the presence of additional components on pillboxes in the west of the island such as found at Maloata. This difference may indicate varying tactical considerations by the U.S. Marines and Navy in preparing the defenses of Tutuila for a Japanese invasion during World War II.”
By Florence Aetonu-Teo, American Samoa Historic Preservation Office.

October 29, 2012 (Newswire.com) – “Creating more efficiency to safeguard the heritage of American Samoa while providing solutions to accomplish new construction projects is our main focus,” states Dr. Joel Klenck, the Territorial Archaeologist of American Samoa. The American Samoa Historic Preservation Office (ASHPO) is responsible for protecting historic and prehistoric sites among the territory’s seven islands. In April of 2012, the ASHPO began implementing strategic process improvements.

The first objective of the ASHPO is to increase the level of responsiveness to government agencies seeking to construct roads, docks and other building projects in American Samoa. David Herdrich, the Director of the Historic Preservation Office, states, “Our office is required by law to respond to U.S. agencies within a thirty-day period. With the aid of Dr. Klenck, we now strive to respond within a week of our being notified of a construction project. Our recent data indicates a seventy-five percent improvement in the timeliness of our responses.”

The ASHPO also plans to modify its current system of data analysis. Klenck remarks, “The goal is to permanently improve the process by which we evaluate areas for potential construction with regard to the presence of archaeological artifacts and features. Currently, when contractors ask for an analysis of a particular area, we must look through many paper site forms to respond.”

With the help of an archaeology intern, Ms. Victoria Su’e, all archaeological site forms are being added to a computer database. This data will then be updated and processed through a new archaeology program called ARC GIS 10 that enables researchers to ascertain archaeological features and artifacts throughout the seven islands of American Samoa using satellite data from the Global Positioning System (GPS).

“In the future,” Klenck adds, “Contractors will be able to give us the location of a construction project and within minutes we will have a clear understanding of the historical features and artifactual assemblages that were discovered in the researched area.” Herdrich concludes, “These measures will make it easier for researchers formulate new studies of the past, preserve the heritage of American Samoa, and enhance efficiency in planning building projects.”

By Alisi Iongi Filiaga, American Samoa Historic Preservation Office