Nukuleka
Nukuleka is a small fishing village on the north-east coast of the island of Tongatapu, Kingdom of Tonga. In January 2008, Canadian archaeologist David V. Burley claimed that it was the "cradle of Polynesia".
Archaeological importance
[edit]In 2007, Burley led an archaeological team conducting digs at a site in Nukuleka, and uncovered pieces of Lapita pottery which they estimated to be about 2,900 years old. Burley stated: "Tonga was the first group of islands in Polynesia to be settled by the Lapita people...and Nukuleka was their first settlement in Tonga.".[1] This finding challenged claims made by Samoa which, in the words of a New Zealand journalist, "has advertised itself for decades as the 'cradle of Polynesia'".[2][3]
According to Burley, it was at Nukuleka that Melanesian settlers developed a new culture and social structures, thus becoming a distinct people, "Polynesians", before setting out to colonise the uninhabited islands of Polynesia.[4] In 2012, Burley and his team reported Uranium-thorium dating of a coral file (abrader) found at Nukuleka of 888 BC (2,838 BP), thus providing a precise date for the earliest settlement of Nukuleka.[5]
However, Burley's conclusions have been questioned by Okusitino Māhina, lecturer in Pacific Political Economy and Pacific Arts Anthropology at the University of Auckland.[6][7]
Climate
[edit]| Climate data for Nuku'alofa | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29 (84) |
29 (85) |
29 (84) |
28 (82) |
26 (79) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
24 (76) |
25 (77) |
26 (78) |
27 (81) |
28 (82) |
27 (80) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22 (72) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
22 (71) |
20 (68) |
18 (65) |
18 (64) |
18 (65) |
18 (64) |
19 (67) |
21 (69) |
21 (69) |
20 (68) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 130 (5.3) |
190 (7.5) |
220 (8.6) |
130 (5.1) |
140 (5.5) |
110 (4.3) |
110 (4.3) |
140 (5.4) |
110 (4.4) |
99 (3.9) |
100 (4.1) |
130 (5) |
1,610 (63.4) |
| Source: Weatherbase [8] | |||||||||||||
References
[edit]- ^ "Tonga's Nukuleka, the birth place of Polynesia", Pesi Fonua, Matangi Tonga, 7 January 2008
- ^ "Tongan site dated oldest in Polynesia", Michael Field, Stuff.co.nz, 10 January 2008
- ^ "Tonga archaeology discovery blow to Samoa's 'cradle' claim", Radio Australia, 11 January 2008
- ^ "Canadian rewrites Oceania history", Randy Boswell, Calgary Herald, 21 January 2008
- ^ Burley, David, Weisier, Marshall I., and Zhao, Jian-xin (2012) High Precision U/Th Dating of First Polynesian Settlement. PLOS One 7 (11); e48769. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0048769, accessed 8 December 2013
- ^ "Was Nukuleka really the cradle of Polynesia?", Matangi Tonga, 10 January 2008
- ^ "Anthropologist rejects Tonga 'cradle of Polynesia' theory", Radio Australia, 11 January 2008
- ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Nuku'alofa, Tonga". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2011.