Feathered Gods and Fishhooks

This week's review applies an archaeological lens to the history of ancient Hawai'i, chronicling the region's ecology and culture.

Posted on August 19, 2024 in Reviews of the Month

Feathered Gods and Fishhooks: The Archaeology of Ancient Hawai’i

Kirch, Patrick Vinton. by Patrick Vinton Kirch with Mark D. McCoy Hawai’i, 2023
528p bibl index, 9780824894498 $47.99, 9780824894474

Feathered Gods and Fishhooks: The Archaeology of Ancient Hawai'i book cover.

The first edition of this book was once the definitive guide to Hawaiian prehistory, but since its publication nearly 40 years ago, things have changed. Numerous archaeological projects have been undertaken in Hawai‘i, and innovations in techniques and methodologies in both archaeology and associated fields have advanced knowledge, demanding a fresh synthesis. This long-awaited revision skillfully brings this pioneering work up to date. Kirch (Univ. of Hawai‘i, Mānoa; emer. Univ. of California, Berkeley) and McCoy (Florida State Univ.) make good use of data from collateral fields such as linguistics, biological anthropology, and ethnohistory to support archaeological interpretations. The book discusses the history of archaeology in Hawai‘i and assesses contemporary methods and techniques. It reviews the broad ecological and cultural history of Oceania before taking up topics such as material culture, agricultural systems, population size, ritual architecture, landscape, and transformations following European contact, and it updates the Polynesian settlement of Hawai‘i with a more recent chronology. The final chapters survey major sites and early settlement patterns. Written in an accessible style, this book will appeal to both professional archaeologists and an interested public. Richly illustrated with numerous photographs and maps, and bolstered by a comprehensive bibliography, this is an essential guide to ancient Hawai‘i.

Summing Up: Essential. General readers through faculty; professionals.
Reviewer: R. Scaglion, emeritus, University of Pittsburgh
Subject: Social & Behavioral Sciences – Anthropology
Choice Issue: Sep 2024

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