Radiocarbon dating in Hawaii facts for kids

For a long time, people have wondered when the first Polynesians arrived in Hawaii. Scientists and historians have used different ways to figure this out. Early ideas came from old stories and family histories. Later, new science like radiocarbon dating helped get more accurate answers.

Today, most experts agree that the Hawaiian Islands were settled around 1219 to 1266 AD. This was a bit later than some earlier ideas suggested. Evidence from ancient farming shows that the Ancient Hawaiian population grew a lot. It reached its highest point around 1450 AD, with about 140,000 to 200,000 people living there.

Early Ideas About Hawaii's First Settlers

Before modern science, people used old stories and family trees to guess when Hawaii was settled. Abraham Fornander, a director at the Bishop Museum, studied these Hawaiian texts in the 1800s. By 1865, these stories suggested there had been 28 generations of Hawaiians. This would mean the first voyages happened around 965 to 1065 AD.

Another director, Te Rangi Hiroa, thought the mysterious Menehune people might have arrived even earlier, around 450 AD. The next director, Kenneth Emory, looked at language and oral traditions. He suggested settlement was around 1150 AD, possibly as early as 1000 AD. However, new scientific tools would soon change these ideas.

Archaeology and Radiocarbon Dating

When radiocarbon dating was invented, archaeologists could test old materials. This helped them find out how old things were. They quickly looked for the oldest samples from Hawaii.

One early sample from a sand dune suggested a very early date, around 124 AD. But over the next ten years, other radiocarbon tests gave different results. They pointed to the first humans arriving between 300 AD and 800 AD. This made scientists doubt the very early sand dune sample.

Retesting Old Samples

The sand dune sample was retested by another lab. The new tests showed it was actually from around 1000 to 1350 AD. This was much later than first thought. Another sample from Waiahukini suggested settlement around 750 AD. This became the new idea for the earliest arrival.

More testing happened across Hawaii. Researchers in O'ahu found dates between 600 and 1100 AD. But these dates didn't quite match what was known about Polynesians spreading from Tahiti.

By the 1970s, a new idea formed. It suggested that Hawaii had been visited multiple times. The retested sand dune sample (1000-1350 AD) was still used to support a possible earlier wave of settlement around 124 AD. Then, there was a long break before more people arrived. This idea became widely accepted for a while.

New Discoveries in the 1990s

In the 1990s, radiocarbon dating got even better. More samples were tested across the Polynesian islands, including New Zealand. These new findings strongly suggested that the eastern Polynesian islands were settled later than thought. Hawaii, like New Zealand, was likely settled around 1000-1200 AD.

Better Radiocarbon Dating Methods

Radiocarbon dating has been around since 1949. Over time, scientists learned to make it more accurate. Early tests had big error margins because the methods were new.

Accelerator Mass Spectrometry

By the late 1970s, a major improvement came with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). This method allowed for much more precise dating.

Choosing the Right Samples

Archaeologists also realized that the type of sample they tested was very important. Wood charcoal was often used, but large pieces could be from very old trees. This meant the wood itself might be much older than when it was burned by humans. So, the date would show the age of the wood, not when people actually used the site. Also, old driftwood could be used as fuel, adding to this problem.

In the early 1990s, scientists started to identify the types of wood charcoal. They compared them to known plant species in the region. This helped them choose better samples for testing. Unfortunately, not all archaeologists used these new methods right away. This caused some confusion in the field.

The Latest Timeline for Eastern Polynesia

Despite these challenges, new radiocarbon methods in the 1980s supported a "short chronology" for settlement. This meant that the central islands of Eastern Polynesia were not settled until after 800 AD or even later.

High-Precision Dating

By the early 1990s, "chronometric hygiene" or high-precision radiocarbon dating became common. This led to retesting many old samples from Hawaii. The new tests showed dates between 1100 and 1200 AD. Some samples from Kaua'i went back to around 1000 AD.

By 2010, the latest research used even more precise dating and reliable samples. They found that the colonization of eastern and northern Polynesia happened faster and later than previously thought. The Society Islands and the Marquesas are important because they are believed to be where the first voyagers to Hawaii came from.

The earliest settlement in the Society Islands was around 1025–1120 AD. Then, a big wave of people spread to all other islands between 1190–1290 AD. This means the Hawaiian Islands were likely settled around 1219–1266 AD. This quick spread helps explain why the culture, biology, and language across East Polynesia are so similar.

Evidence from the Environment

Scientists also look at the environment to understand human impact. They study plant fossils, charcoal, and other organic materials. Using high-precision radiocarbon dating, they found signs of human influence in Kaua'i around 1000 AD. In Moloka‘i, evidence appeared as early as 1300 AD. The main period of human activity and population growth was between 1400 and 1650 AD.