Post-contact abandonment of traditional house sites in upper Wai'anae Valley, Hawaiian Islands

Abandonment has been recognized as a normal process of human settlement. In the Hawaiian Islands, the Kingdom of Hawai'i spread to include most islands by 1795, shortly after European contact (1778). In the 1800s, houses in the kingdom's upper valleys were largely abandoned. This settlement change has been noted yet poorly dated and explained. Theoretical models and analytical tools on abandonment developed elsewhere are not suitable for studying abandonment in Hawai'i. This thesis explores this settlement alteration in Hawai'i, focusing on when and why such alterations occurred. The thesis looks at abandonment patterns in upper Wai'anae valley on the west coast of the island of O'ahu, a community land with perhaps 2,000-2,500 people at contact. It is estimated that 55 house sites were present at contact in upper Wai'anae Valley, but only five contain post-contact Euro-Asian artifacts. This indicates extensive abandonment of the upper valley, a common pattern in the islands. Models explaining abandonment are offered, including as a result of depopulation from diseases, emigration to urban centers, and eviction with the rise of ranches and plantations. The sites with Euro-Asian artifacts were carefully dated. A pattern results of massive abandonment by 1820 (before the arrival of Euro-Asian artifacts in rural O'ahu commoner households): one house perhaps between 1820-1850 and four others in the 1890s are revealed. This suggests impacts from diseases as a causal factor early and eviction by the rise of the Wai'anae plantation for the remaining four houses.