Date of Award
2018
Publisher
North Dakota State University
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Awarded
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Sociology and Anthropology
College
Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Faculty Advisor
Clark, Jeffrey T.
Description
The research reported here utilizes lidar technology for a case study of archaeological site and feature identification in a unique landscape to investigate the human-environmental interaction in a defined study area, specifically as revealed through human agricultural production. The lidar data provided a preliminary overview of the human-modified landscape in the uplands of Ta‘u Island in the Manu‘a Group of American Samoa that led to a set of research questions and a research strategy involving both lidar data analysis and on-the-ground survey. The aerial lidar and pedestrian surveys of the Mt. Lata slopes, in the northeastern uplands of Ta‘u, revealed more than 200 archaeological features in an agricultural and settlement zone that is unique in the central Pacific. Consequently, the research reported contributes to our understanding of agricultural production, social organization, and environmental interactions in the prehistorical period of the Samoan Archipelago.
Recommended Citation
Motu, Nolita, "Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) Technology in Archaeology and the Human – Environmental Interaction: The Case of Ta‘u Island, Manu‘a American Samoa" (2018). Sociology and Anthropology. 24.
https://digitalcommons.ndsu.edu/soc-anth/24
Rights
NDSU Policy 190.6.2
Rights Link
https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf
Handle Identifier
https://hdl.handle.net/10365/28753