Lau Islands Research Articles

Bridging islands and calming seas: A material flow management approach to sustainable sea transportation for Fiji's lower southern Lau islands

The relatively remote and geographically isolated lower southern Lau islands of Fiji rely on maritime transportation for their economic success and social wellbeing. This paper explores the feasibility of implementing a Material Flow Management (MFM) framework to sustainable shipping and the possibilities for addressing the socio-economic development needs of the relevant island communities. The research question is: how can a regional MFM framework for hybrid powered maritime vessels be implemented effectively to promote ecological quality improvements and local added value for Fiji's lower southern Lau islands? The mixed methods research uses a quasi-experimental design, with most data collected on site during a March 2015 field study of the lower southern Lau route. The findings are applied to a tailor-made MFM framework that demonstrate the viability and effectiveness in achieving seven key aims: (1) activate regional potential; (2) increase system efficiency; (3) decrease operating costs; (4) create stakeholder network; (5) create and maintain jobs; (6) support innovative small and medium enterprises (SMEs); and (7) create sustainable economy/society. The results validate the MFM framework as a potential model of sustainable sea transport for this particular route that can be expanded upon for other domestic and regional shipping routes. The author concludes that further research and the development of pertinent socio-economic indicators based on these findings will support a more robust MFM model as it applies to sustainable sea transport.

First record of the Devil Clam, Tridacna mbalavuana Ladd 1934, in New Caledonia

The Devil Clam, Tridacna mbalavuana Ladd 1934, previously known as T. tevoroa Lucas, Ledua, Braley 1990, was described on the barrier reefs of Tonga and the Lau islands of Fiji. Here, we report two individuals found on the northeastern barrier reef of New Caledonia. While its known geographic range has expanded, its rarity and hence vulnerability persists.

Genetic Evidence for Modifying Oceanic Boundaries Relative to Fiji.

We present the most comprehensive genetic characterization to date of five Fijian island populations: Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, Kadavu, the Lau Islands, and Rotuma, including nonrecombinant Y (NRY) chromosome and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes and haplogroups. As a whole, Fijians are genetically intermediate between Melanesians and Polynesians, but the individual Fijian island populations exhibit significant genetic structure reflecting different settlement experiences in which the Rotumans and the Lau Islanders were more influenced by Polynesians, and the other Fijian island populations were more influenced by Melanesians. In particular, Rotuman and Lau Islander NRY chromosomal and mtDNA haplogroup frequencies and Rotuman mtDNA hypervariable segment 1 region haplotypes more closely resemble those of Polynesians, while genetic markers of the other populations more closely resemble those of the Near Oceanic Melanesians. Our findings provide genetic evidence supportive of modifying regional boundaries relative to Fiji, as has been suggested by others based on a variety of nongenetic evidence. Specifically, for the traditional Melanesia/Polynesia/Micronesia scheme, our findings support moving the Melanesia-Polynesia boundary to include Rotuma and the Lau Islands in Polynesia. For the newer Near/Remote Oceania scheme, our findings support keeping Rotuma and the Lau Islands in Remote Oceania and locating the other Fijian island populations in an intermediate or "Central Oceania" region to better reflect the great diversity of Oceania.

The Diplommatinidae of Fiji - a hotspot of Pacific land snail biodiversity (Caenogastropoda, Cyclophoroidea).

The minute (adult size 1.3–4.8 mm) land snail species of the family Diplommatinidae in the Fiji archipelago are revised based on historical material and modern (1998–99) collections targeting limestone outcrops on the largest island, Viti Levu, and several smaller islands in the Lau group. The forty-two species (including 30 new species) belong to the genera Moussonia Semper, 1865, Palaina Semper, 1865 and Diancta Martens, 1867, which are briefly characterized and keyed. The diagnostic structure of the inner lamellar system of each species is illustrated. All species except one are endemic to Fiji. In Viti Levu, the 12 localities surveyed each had 1–13 (average 5) species of Diplommatinidae; ten species were each found at a single site only. In the Lau islands, five islands were visited, with 1–4 species per island; four species are known from single islands. The number of historically known species not recollected in 1998–99 (7 species), the number of single-site occurrences (14 species), and the numerous islands — including limestone islands — that have not been surveyed at all, indicate that the 42 species of Diplommatinidae currently known from Fiji represent perhaps only half of the Fiji diplommatinid fauna. Such numbers approach the diplommatinid diversity of Palau (39 described and more than 60 undescribed species), and surpasses by far the diversity of other South Pacific archipelagos of comparable land area (New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Samoa).Nomenclatural acts: Lectotypes designated: Diplommatina fuscula, Diplommatina fuscula var. vitiana, Diplommatina godeffroyana, Diplommatina godeffroyana var. latecostata, Diplommatina tuberosa, Diplommatina martensi var. macrostoma, all Mousson, 1870. Neotypes designated: Diplommatina subregularis, Diplommatina ascendens, Diplommatina quadrata, all Mousson, 1870. New species: Diancta aurea sp. n., Diancta aurita sp. n., Diancta basiplana sp. n., Diancta controversa sp. n., Diancta densecostulata sp. n., Diancta dextra sp. n., Diancta dilatata sp. n., Diancta distorta sp. n., Diancta pulchella sp. n., Diancta rotunda sp. n., Diancta subquadrata sp. n., Diancta trilamellata sp. n., Moussonia acuta sp. n., Moussonia barkeri sp. n., Moussonia brodieae sp. n., Moussonia longipalatalis sp. n., Moussonia minutissima sp. n., Moussonia obesa sp. n., Moussonia polita sp. n., Moussonia uncinata sp. n., Moussonia vitianoides sp. n., Palaina alberti sp. n., Palaina flammulata sp. n., Palaina glabella sp. n., Palaina kitteli sp. n., Palaina labeosa sp. n., Palaina parietalis sp. n., Palaina sulcata sp. n., Palaina truncata sp. n., Palaina tuberosissima sp. n.

Genetic structure among Fijian island populations.

We examined nine Y chromosome short tandem repeats (Y-STRs) and the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) hypervariable segment 1 region in the Fijian island populations of Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, Kadavu, the Lau islands and Rotuma. We found significant genetic structure among these populations for the Y-STRs, both with and without the Rotumans, but not for the mtDNA. We also found that all five populations exhibited the sex-biased admixture associated with areas settled by Austronesian-speaking people, with paternal lineages more strongly associated with Melanesian populations and maternal lineages more strongly associated with Polynesian populations. We also found that the Rotumans in the north and the Lau Islanders in the east were genetically more similar to Polynesian populations than were the other Fijians, but only for the mtDNA. For the Y-STRs, the Rotumans and the Lau Islanders were genetically as similar to Melanesian populations as were the other three populations. Of the five populations, the Rotumans were the most different in almost every regard. Although past genetic studies treated the Fijians as being genetically homogenous despite known geographic, phenotypic, cultural and linguistic variation, our findings show significant genetic variation and a need for a closer examination of individual island populations within Fiji, particularly the Rotumans, in order to better understand the process of the peopling of Fiji and of the surrounding regions.

The prehistory of terrestrial reptiles and birds in the Central Lau Group, Fiji

We identified nearly 1000 bones of reptiles and birds from 20 prehistoric sites in caves and rockshelters on four islands (Lakeba, Nayau, Aiwa Levu, and Aiwa Lailai) in the Lau Group of Fiji. The bones are Late Holocene in age (ca. 2800 to 200 years old) and are contemporaneous with prehistoric human habitation of the islands. They represent 32 species (7 reptiles, 25 non-passerine landbirds). Six of the seven taxa of squamate reptiles recovered from the prehistoric sites are indigenous to the Lau Group, including an undescribed and presumably extinct species of gekkonid lizard. While the Lau islands have never been surveyed comprehensively for modern squamate reptiles, six other species of lizards known to occur in Lau today are not represented with certainty in any of the bone deposits (the geckos Hemidactylus frenatus and Lepidodactylus lugubris, and skinks Emoia cyanura, E. impar, Cryptoblepharus eximius, and Lipinia noctua). Except for C. eximius, these synthropic and not necessarily native species are widespread on Pacific islands, with much or all of their dispersal being due to human agency. For landbirds, the prehistoric bones increase the species richness values from 21 to 29 species on Lakeba, from 17 to 19 species on Nayau, from 18 to 26 on Aiwa Levu, and from 16 to 17 on Aiwa Lailai. The extinct species of birds consist of two megapodes (Megapodius alimentum, M. amissus), two flightless rails (Gallirallus undescribed sp., Porzana undescribed sp.), and a pigeon (Ducula lakeba). Three living species of birds recorded pre-historically, but that no longer occur on these islands, are characteristic of freshwater habitats: the heron Butorides striatus and two volant rails, Porzana tabuensis and Poliolimnas cinereus. Three other extant species recorded from bones on Lakeba, but that no longer inhabit that island or any others in Lau, are the pigeon Didunculus cf. strigirostris, parrot Prosopeia sp., and lorikeet ?Charmosyna amabilis. Much of the inter-island differences in total species richness of birds (modern + prehistoric) is probably due to uneven sampling of prehistoric bones, which are both older (on average) and more abundant on Lakeba and Aiwa Levu than on the other two islands. Reconstructing the composition of the reptile and bird communities as they existed at first human contact demonstrates the unappreciated species richness of very small islands, a concept of interest to biogeographers and conservation biologists.

Geopolitical storymaking about Tonga and Fiji: How media fooled people to believe Ma'afu wanted Lau

Just when Tongan Democratic Party leader ‘Akilisi Pohiva stumped the public by saying he admired Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama because “he has been able to make things happen and take development to the people,” the Government of Tonga’s Minister for Lands, Lord Ma’afu, came right out of the blue and trumped him (Tonga Daily News, 2014a, 2014b). Ma’afu topped Pohiva at causing public bamboozlement.
 By this, Pohiva was the progenitor of Tonga’s thirty year old pro-democracy movement. Why would he over romanticise about the former military commodore Frank Bainimarama, the hard-line originator of Fiji’s third coup to take place in a period of twenty eight years? Pohiva’s swinging politics from democracy in Tonga to an overthrow of democracy in Fiji baffled readers (Naidu, 2014; Graue, 2014). But Ma’afu took centre stage as the show stopper.
 Momentarily, people were gobsmacked and did not know what to make of him. Was Tonga’s Minister for Lands and Survey who was a senior noble in the Tu’ivakano cabinet courting mischief or dead serious? Fiji’s permanent secretary for foreign affairs Amena Yauvoli was certain, we “would just have to wait for the Tongan government’s proposal” (Tonga Daily News, 2014a). But as Tongan journalist Kalafi Moala put it, “they will be waiting for a very long time” on that geopolitical front (Moala, 2014).
 This essay explores the geopolitical storymaking about Tonga and Fiji instigated by Tonga Daily News publishing online that Lord Ma’afu had said, “In good faith I will propose to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Fiji that they can have Minerva Reef and we get Lau in return” (Tonga Daily News, 2014a). The very thought of drawing up a new map instantly ignited outrage from Fijian readers. How then, might Tonga and Fiji’s argument over ownership of the Minerva Reefs play out this time around? Could the region’s geopolitical atlas ever be imagined differently when its cartography was permanently cemented to the era of Western European colonial empire? When the media fooled people to believe Lord Ma’afu wanted the Lau Islands for the Minerva Reefs, what did this signal about how news sites can manoeuver shock advertising and manipulate what politicians say to up their ratings?

In Memoriam, George Milner, 1918–2012

In Memoriam, George Milner, 1918–2012 Paul Geraghty Professor Emeritus George Milner, well known to Oceanic linguists as the author of Fijian grammar and Samoan dictionary, as well as numerous articles, passed away peacefully at his home in South Petherton, Somerset, England, on July 7, 2012, at the age of 93.1 He was born George Bertram Milner on September 9, 1918, and received his early education in Lausanne, Switzerland, before moving to Manchester Grammar School in England. Bilingual in English and French, he would later publish a number of scholarly articles in French. In 1937 he was awarded a scholarship to Christ’s College Cambridge to study Modern Languages, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1940, whereupon he joined the Army Intelligence Corps and served with the Eighth Army in the Western Desert and Italy. Like many who served in the war, he preferred not to talk about it. After the war, he joined the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the University of London, having been awarded a scholarship to study Fijian, culminating in a Master of Arts degree in 1947, after which he became lecturer in linguistics at SOAS. His research in Fijian, and subsequent fieldwork, was commissioned and supported by the colonial government, feeling perhaps that the most recent grammar (Churchward 1940), though a good reference grammar, was not suitable as a primer (Milner 1971a:405, Schütz 1972:76). During this time, he first came into contact with Josua Bogidrau, a native of Tubou, Lakeba, Lau, who had previously worked with Arthur Capell on his compilation of a new Fijian dictionary, and was now seconded to SOAS for sixteen months in 1946 and 1947. Bogidrau was, incidentally, the grandson of Melaia Lutu, who had been one of Arthur Hocart’s principal informants for his classic study of Lauan culture, The Lau Islands (Hocart 1929). After acquiring the rudiments of Fijian from Bogidrau, Milner prepared to go to Fiji to carry out fieldwork, under the guidance of G. K. Roth, a senior colonial administrator who had done anthropological fieldwork in Fiji (Roth 1953Roth 1973), and who was considered at the time the authority on Fijian culture. Roth arranged for Ratu Sukuna, then Secretary of Fijian Affairs and also an authority on language and culture, later to become Fiji’s leading statesman of the mid-twentieth century, to write for George a sketch of the dialects of Fiji, to guide him in his fieldwork (Scarr n.d.:425). Milner and Ratu Sukuna were to become firm friends, and Sukuna assiduously read the manuscript grammar and [End Page 265] recommended hundreds of amendments during a visit to London in 1953. The historian and bibliographer Philip Snow (1998:62) commented that Milner would have made an excellent biographer of Sukuna, “combining scholarship and personal knowledge of a high order.” Fieldwork lasted 14 months during 1948 to 1949, most of the time being spent in the village of Vatani in Kaba, to the south of the island of Bau, considered then to be the basis of Standard Fijian, though some time was spent in Ba and Nadroga in Western Fiji (Milner 1952, 1971a:412). Ever the keen observer, Milner was taking copious notes as he watched the villagers of Kaba build the house he and his wife and their new-born baby Michael would stay in, and these resulted in a unique study of the language of house-building in Fiji (Milner 1953a), which remains the only one on this topic. When I carried out fieldwork in Kaba in the 1980s, some people still remembered George fondly, and referred to him as Tamai Maikeli (‘Michael’s father’), following the naming custom of that part of Fiji. From 1949 to 1950 he also visited Tonga and the Solomon Islands to conduct linguistic and anthropological fieldwork. The resulting publication, Fijian grammar (Milner 1956), was acclaimed as “perhaps the first complete grammar of a Melanesian or Polynesian language to be written by a professional linguist” (Biggs and Nayacakalou 1958:80), and “the most important work on Fijian” (Schütz 1972:75); for other reviews, all positive, see Buse (1958), Capell (1959), Carr (1958), and Robins (1958). At the...

Habitat degradation and fishing effects on the size structure of coral reef fish communities

Overfishing and habitat degradation through climate change pose the greatest threats to sustainability of marine resources on coral reefs. We examined how changes in fishing pressure and benthic habitat composition influenced the size spectra of island-scale reef fish communities in Lau, Fiji. Between 2000 and 2006 fishing pressure declined in the Lau Islands due to declining human populations and reduced demand for fresh fish. At the same time, coral cover declined and fine-scale architectural complexity eroded due to coral bleaching and outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci. We examined the size distribution of reef fish communities using size spectra analysis, the linearized relationship between abundance and body size class. Spatial variation in fishing pressure accounted for 31% of the variation in the slope of the size spectra in 2000, higher fishing pressure being associated with a steeper slope, which is indicative of fewer large-bodied fish and/or more small-bodied fish. Conversely, in 2006 spatial variation in habitat explained 53% of the variation in the size spectra slopes, and the relationship with fishing pressure was much weaker (approximately 12% of variation) than in 2000. Reduced cover of corals and lower structural complexity was associated with less steep size spectra slopes, primarily due to reduced abundance of fish < 20 cm. Habitat degradation will compound effects of fishing on coral reefs as increased fishing reduces large-bodied target species, while habitat loss results in fewer small-bodied juveniles and prey that replenish stocks and provide dietary resources for predatory target species. Effective management of reef resources therefore depends on both reducing fishing pressure and maintaining processes that encourage rapid recovery of coral habitat.

A critical evaluation of recent models for Lau–Tonga arc–backarc basin magmatic evolution

New trace element, Sr-, Nd-, Pb- and Hf isotope data provide insights into the evolution of the Tonga–Lau Basin subduction system. The involvement of two separate mantle domains, namely Pacific MORB mantle in the pre-rift and early stages of back-arc basin formation, and Indian MORB mantle in the later stages, is confirmed by these results. Contrary to models proposed in recent studies on the basis of Pb isotope and other compositional data, this change in mantle wedge character best explains the shift in the isotopic composition, particularly 143Nd/ 144Nd ratios, of modern Tofua Arc magmas relative to all other arc products from this region. Nevertheless, significant changes in the slab-derived flux during the evolution of the arc system are also required to explain second order variations in magma chemistry. In this region, the slab-derived flux is dominated by fluid; however, these fluids carry Pb with sediment-influenced isotopic signatures, indicating that their source is not restricted to the subducting altered mafic oceanic crust. This has been the case from the earliest magmatic activity in the arc (Eocene) until the present time, with the exception of two periods of magmatic activity recorded in samples from the Lau Islands. Both the Lau Volcanic Group, and Korobasaga Volcanic Group lavas preserve trace element and isotope evidence for a contribution from subducted sediment that was not transported as a fluid, but possibly in the form of a melt. This component shares similarities with that influencing the chemistry of the northern Tofua Arc magmas, suggesting some caution may be required in the adoption of constraints for the latter dependent upon the involvement of sediments from the Louisville Ridge. A key outcome of this study is to demonstrate that the models proposed to explain subduction zone magmatism cannot afford to ignore the small but important contributions made by the mantle wedge to the incompatible trace element inventory of arc magmas.

Declining reliance on marine resources in remote South Pacific societies: ecological versus socio-economic drivers

Degraded coral reef ecosystems yield limited goods and services, which is expected to have significant socio-economic impacts on isolated tropical island communities with strong reliance on coral reefs. This study investigates socio-economic changes, specifically in fresh fish consumption and fishing activities, associated with environmental degradation at five fishing grounds (qoliqoli) in the Lau Islands (Fiji). Semi-structured interviews with fishers and senior household members revealed that the importance of fishing was low relative to other occupations, and consumption of fresh fish has declined over the last decade. Reduced fishing and choice of fresh fish is largely attributable to an increased need to derive income as well as new income-generating opportunities. A possible consequence of reduced reliance on marine resources was limited awareness of recent environmental degradation caused by climate-induced coral bleaching and outbreaks of coral-feeding crown-of-thorns starfish. Limited use and reduced awareness of the local marine environment in the short term may erode social memory and local ecological knowledge, reducing opportunities to fall back on marine resources. This may also compromise long-term economic and social stability. Conversely, low reliance on marine resources may confer greater flexibility to adapt to future ecological change in the marine environment. Importantly, changes in fish consumption and exploitation of marine resources were linked to socio-economic factors rather than a consequence of recent degradation of marine environments. Greater knowledge of the dynamics driving change in marine resource use is necessary to understand how societies respond to ecological and socio-economic change, and to identify opportunities for adaptive sustainable ecosystem management.

Mid-Sequence Archaeology at the Sigatoka Sand Dunes with Interpretive Implications for Fijian and Oceanic Culture History

Continued erosion of the Sigatoka Sand Dunes on the western coast of Viti Levu, Fiji has exposed discrete assemblages of ceramics associated with all phases of Fijian prehistory. Excavations here in 2000 investigated stratigraphically separated occupation floors associated with Fijian Plainware and Navatu phase components, respectively radiocarbon dated to between ca. 450-550 C.E. and 550-650 C.E. The excavations and analysis of recovered data allow for a clarification of previous misunderstandings of the mid-sequence occupation at the site as well as its associated uses and features. These data further bear upon the Plainware/Navatu phase transition for Fiji as a whole. In the Lau Islands of southeastern Fiji this transition is described as abrupt and attributable to influences or a population movement from Vanuatu. Mid-sequence ceramic and other data from Sigatoka illustrate a similar break that potentially represents different cultural traditions.

Using informal knowledge to infer human‐induced rarity of a conspicuous reef fish

AbstractThere have been few contemporary extinctions in the sea, which suggests marine species are either less vulnerable to extinction than terrestrial species, or marine extinctions may have gone unnoticed. We consider whether a large conspicuous reef fish, the giant humphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum), is likely to have declined across much of its geographical range. Informal knowledge was used to determine the status of the giant humphead parrotfish. We first surveyed fishers' knowledge of this parrotfish at 12 lightly exploited islands in the Lau group, Fiji and then compiled a global inventory of available information. In the Lau islands, Fiji, fishers reported this parrotfish as previously abundant, but it had not been caught at six islands since at least 1990 and was considered rare at another four islands. The parrotfish had been captured recently (since the 1990s) at three islands where fishers did not target parrotfishes regularly. A compilation of giant humphead parrotfish records provided by local scientists at 39 locations in 31 Indo‐Pacific nations suggested this fish is locally common only inside areas where fishing is prohibited and that it is currently globally rare. Local densities of the giant humphead parrotfish were negatively correlated to a categorical scale of fishing pressure across six Indo‐Pacific locations. The retrospective discovery of local disappearances and global rarity of a distinctive and formerly prominent reef fish is consistent with the hypothesis that the capacity to detect disappearances of exploitation‐vulnerable species in the sea is lower than expected.

The Lapita site at Votua, northern Lau Islands, Fiji

AbstractArchaeological sites of exclusively Lapita provenance are important because they present an opportunity to tease out the elements of material culture and economic behaviour which belonged to the first colonisation phase in Remote Oceania from those which might have come later. Such sites are rare in the eastern Lapita province (Fiji and West Polynesia). We describe one from Mago Island in the northern Lau group of Fiji. Although excavations at the site were limited in extent, the modest range of faunal and artefactual remains should represent a more typical inventory of a single‐phase Lapita occupation than assemblages drawn from sites in which post‐Lapita habitation is also, and often inextricably, represented.

Theory and Reality: The Success and Failure of the Deductive Method in Coral Reef Studies-Darwin to Davis

W. M. Davis's monograph The Coral Reef Problem (1928) and his voluminous other publications on coral reefs present his unambiguous support for Darwin's evolutionary model of the development of reef types through slow subsidence of reef foundations. Davis claimed to find unequivocal support for his views in the features of now-elevated reefs. Since his deductions, expressed in sequential block diagrams, were based on his incorrect belief that elevated reefs eroded rapidly, he was compelled to reject paleontological evidence that many elevated reefs are old. Thus to support his theoretical position he systematically misrepresented the geomorphic history of, for example, the Lau Islands, Eua, the Loyalty Islands, Jaluit Atoll and Mangaia. Not surprisingly this work did not impress contemporaries who had experience of these reefs in the field.

Late Cenozoic tectonic history of Lau Ridge, Southwest Pacific, and associated shoreline displacements: Review and analysis

Abstract The islands of the Lau Ridge in eastern Fiji have long been a focus for the attention of geologists owing to their spectacular sequences of preserved shorelines. A review of past work is given, and 107 shoreline levels are recognised across 32 Lau islands. The data are tabulated and plotted against their longitudes and latitudes. No shoreline groups are recognised from a plot of height against longitude, which appears to repudiate claims that the Lau Ridge was tilted eastwards during the opening of the back-arc Lau Basin, east of the ridge. In the height/latitude plot, three groups of shorelines (24) are clearly identified between 21 m and 80 m above present mean sea level. Above the level of shoreline 4, another shoreline group (5a) is recognised. Below 27 m, three shoreline groups (lb-Id) are identified with slightly less certainty. The average correlation coefficient for the seven shoreline groups (lb-5a) is −0.809. The gradients of regression lines show a consistent decrease with decreasing height through shoreline group 4 (1 m/12.58 km) to shoreline group lb (1 m/30.72 km). A belief that uplift alone has been responsible for relative shoreline emergence is weakened by the absence of any clear geotectonic cause. It is possible that contributory causes included (1) residual movements of the Lau Ridge resulting from Pliocene collision with the Viti Levu-Vanua Levu arc segment, (2) interaction between the spreading Lau Basin and the remnant arc (Lau Ridge) after this time, and (3) uplift associated with late Cenozoic thermal events in Lau. The reasonably consistent decrease in gradient exhibited by shoreline groups 1b-5a is partially explained by sea-level changes resulting principally from geoid deformation. A decrease in oceanic geoid gradient in Lau could have been caused by the contraction or movement northwestwards of the geoid high presently centred over New Guinea. It is concluded that both uplift and geoidal-eustatic change may have contributed to the displacement of shorelines in Lau since the early Pliocene. The cause of neither movement is clear.

The conflict between the London missionary society and the Wesleyan Methodists in 19th century Samoa

point of departure for adventurous Tongan canoes voyaging further north before the white invaders came to Polynesia. To the north-west lay the Lau islands of Eastern Fiji; almost due north, with a stopping point at Niuatoputapu (Keppel's Island), was the route to Samoa. The secure Samoan islet of Manono, in the strait between the islands of Savai'i and Upolu, was a frequent destination for traders and a focal point for gathering Tongans and Samoans.1

Note on high sea-level evidence from Lau Islands, south-west Pacific

Abstract The Lau Islands of Fiji form a 370 mile (600 km) long north-south archipelago, 1,250 miles (2,000 km) north-north-east of New Zealand and 600–1,400 miles (1,100–2,300 km) west of the Cook Group, and consist of volcanic products and limestone, most of which is of coral-reef origin.

Research Items

Some Interesting Radulæ YOSHIO KONDO, in his paper "The Dentition of Six Syncerid Genera Gasteropoda, Prosobranchiata, Synceridæ: (Assimineidæ)"(Occasional Papers Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii, 18, No. 23; 1944) describes the radular teeth of certain land shells described by C. Montague Cooke, jun. and William J. Clench ("Land Shells (Synceridæ) from the Southern Western Pacific", Occasional Papers Bernice P. Bishop Museum, 17, No. 20; 1943). Electrina succinea (Sowerby) and Rapanella andersoni Cooke and Clench were both found in the small island of Rapa but in distinct areas of distribution. The genus Garretia is limited to Cook Islands, the radula of G. biangulata (Pease) being dealt with here, Fijianella calciphila Cooke and Clench comes from Lau Islands, Quadrasiella mucronata Moellendorff from Guam, Marianne Islands. All these have a very peculiar operculum characteristic of each species and differ much in form of shell. The type of radula is found to be remarkably uniform for all six. There are no lateral processes, and the teeth themselves are peculiar and distinctive in form.

The Culture History of the Lau Islands, Fiji

The Culture History of the Lau Islands, Fiji