title: Assessing human diet and movement in the Tongan maritime chiefdom using isotopic analyses.
abstract: The rise of stratified societies fundamentally influences the interactions between status, movement, and food. Using isotopic analyses, we assess differences in diet and mobility of individuals excavated from two burial mounds located at the `Atele burial site on Tongatapu, the main island of the Kingdom of Tonga (c. 500 - 150 BP). The first burial mound (To-At-1) was classified by some archaeologists as a commoner's mound while the second burial mound (To-At-2) was possibly used for interment of the chiefly class. In this study, stable isotope analyses of diet (δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S; n = 41) are used to asses paleodiet and 87Sr/86Sr ratios (n = 30) are analyzed to investigate individual mobility to test whether sex and social status affected these aspects of life. Our results show significant differences in diet between burial mounds and sexes. Those interred in To-At-2 displayed lower δ13C values, indicating they ate relatively more terrestrial plants (likely starchy vegetable staples) compared with To-At-1 individuals. Females displayed significantly lower δ15N values compared with males within the entire assemblage. No differences in δ34S values were observed between sexes or burial mound but it is possible that sea spray or volcanism may have affected these values. One individual displayed the strontium isotopic composition representative of a nonlocal immigrant (outside 2SD of the mean). This suggests the hegemonic control over interisland travel, may have prevented long-term access to the island by non-Tongans exemplifying the political and spiritual importance of the island of Tongatapu in the maritime chiefdom.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Division of Health Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stantis
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Division of Health Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Rebecca L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Kinaston
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.affiliation: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Janet M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Division of Health Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Hallie R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Buckley
mesh_terms: D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000737:chemistry*; D002048:Burial / Q000379:methods; D002247:Carbon Isotopes / Q000737:chemistry*; D004032:Diet / Q000379:methods; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes / Q000737:chemistry*; D013325:Strontium Isotopes / Q000737:chemistry*; D014058:Tonga; D014195:Travel
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes; D013325:Strontium Isotopes
references.citation: Science. 1982 Jun 4;216(4550):1131-2
references.pmid: 17808502
references.citation: Am J Clin Nutr. 1967 Mar;20(3):279-81
references.pmid: 6020178
references.citation: Science. 1983 Jun 24;220(4604):1381-3
references.pmid: 6344217
references.citation: Am J Phys Anthropol. 2013 Feb;150(2):210-22
references.pmid: 23225220
references.citation: PLoS One. 2014 Aug 20;9(8):e104071
references.pmid: 25140807
references.citation: Am J Phys Anthropol. 2000 Dec;113(4):481-505
references.pmid: 11102883
references.citation: Am J Phys Anthropol. 2012 Jul;148(3):406-21
references.pmid: 22553183
references.citation: Am J Phys Anthropol. 2007 Jun;133(2):808-16
references.pmid: 17405135
references.citation: Am J Phys Anthropol. 2013 Aug;151(4):589-603
references.pmid: 23868172
references.citation: Nature. 1971 Mar 26;230(5291):241-2
references.pmid: 4926713
references.citation: Science. 1985 Mar 15;227(4692):1361-3
references.pmid: 17793771
references.citation: Am J Phys Anthropol. 1985 Sep;68(1):47-56
references.pmid: 4061601
references.citation: Am J Phys Anthropol. 1997 Nov;104(3):343-61
references.pmid: 9408540
references.citation: PLoS One. 2014 Mar 05;9(3):e90376
references.pmid: 24598939
references.citation: Nutr Hosp. 2012 Nov-Dec;27(6):1952-9
references.pmid: 23588444
references.citation: Am J Phys Anthropol. 2012 Aug;148(4):589-600
references.pmid: 22553011
references.citation: PLoS One. 2013 May 15;8(5):e64580
references.pmid: 23691250
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Jul 22;111(29):10491-6
references.pmid: 25002481