Skeleton Secrets

Otago Magazine, February 2005

Thirteen skeletons discovered by chance in an ancient cemetery on the island of Efate, Vanuatu, should provide important information about the way prehistoric people lived in the Pacific 3,000 years ago.

The skeletons are of Lapita people, ancestors of today’s Polynesians, and the first humans to live in Vanuatu. Significantly, they were found among pottery dating back to 1200 BC, 200 years earlier than it was thought that Lapita arrived there.

The cemetery is the oldest ever found in the South Pacific and has attracted wide attention, particularly as the skeletons had no skulls. Dr Hallie Buckley, of the Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology, excavated the remains and says the heads appear to have been removed after burial in what was probably a cultural practice. Loose teeth were found in the graves and shell bracelets had been positioned above the necks.

Buckley will lead a team of international experts in analysing the skeletons, now being sorted and cleaned at the University of Otago. Samples will be sent to Britain for DNA tests, and it is hoped further studies will reveal where these people came from, what they ate and how they adapted to their pristine island environment.

“We’re also interested to discover what the Lapita people looked like, whether they were more Melanesian or more South-east Asian looking.

“When I excavated the bodies, I noticed some were very robust with large muscle attachments, indicating they were strong and lived active lifestyles. We will investigate this further to begin to build a profile of the lifestyles of prehistoric Pacific Islanders.”