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... (cont. page 117) Similar sinkers, without grooves, were found in the lowest cultural level in Western Samoa" Sinoto further states in the same paper under Summary and Conclusions (page 302) "Octopus sinkers, shaped whale-tooth pendants, and type 2A adzes clearly indicate earlier traits than Suggs' Settlement assemblage for Nukahiva." " Turning then to Suggs (1961: 89) we find 'The lure sinker is plano-convex in section and ovoid to ellipsoid in plan, with a groove along the longitudinal axis of the convex surface that in some examples continues to the flat surface. All the surfaces are usually rough, as a coarse, vesicular type of basalt is most often used. A few specimens, however, have some polish (Fig. 28a)". see Comparative Diagram 13.40. Chronological Significance: Squid lure sinkers are found throughout the Marquesan sequence from the settlement period to the present. Artifacts exactly like them are found on Easter Island, where the illustrated specimens at least, are completely grooved. The Hawaiian material shows some important differences from the Marquesas. The stone squid lure sinkers are not found from the earliest Hawaiian culture, but appear at a later date in the sequence. (Emory 1959 personal communication) In contrast to the homogeneous Marquesan material, there are two types in Hawaii. One type is exactly like the standard Marquesan sinker. The other type, called the "breadloaf" sinker, has a transverse section resembling a well-risen loaf of bread, which has puffed itself out over the limits of the pan. The groove is at the base of the "loaf." These are described and/or figured by McAllister, Buck, and Bennett. Buck inclines to the view that the breadloaf sinkers are dip-net weights. In Samoa, highly polished weights used for squid lures are in the form of a spinning top or bullet. Suggs further states on page 92 "Both types of cowrie lure, the stone weights and the flappers, were brought to the island by the first settlers and since then have been continuously in use." Thus we see some slight contradiction in the overall picture as to whether in fact bullet shaped lures did exist in the early Western assemblages, whether the grooved sinkers are to be found throughout the Marquesan sequence, however the main point being that, incipiently grooved "coffee-bean" shaped sinkers have been found in the early Samoan and early Marquesan sequences and their appearance in Easter Island affirms their great antiquity. The discovery of these sinkers in Tubuai may further indicate a very early settlement of this island. |
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