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Sources

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  • Kirch, Patrick Vinton (1985). Feathered Gods and Fishhooks: An Introduction to Hawaiian Archaeology and Prehistory. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-1739-9. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
    • "Figure 8. In 1923-1924, the Bishop Museum's Tanager Expedition studied the unique archaeological remains on remote Necker Island and Nihoa. Here the expedition crew unloads archaeological equipment at the perilous Nihoa landing." (14)
    • "Our knowledge of the island's archaeology [ed. Nihoa and Necker] derives largely from the work of Kenneth Emory (1928), who conducted a study of Nihoa and Necker as part of the Bishop Museum's Tanager Expedition. That expedition also produced valuable accounts of the geology and vegetation of the leeward islands (Palmer 1927; Christophersen and Caum 1931). Along with the more recent natural history studies of Clapp, Kridler and Fleet (1977; Clapp and Kridler 1977), those studies provide a solid baseline for assessing the natural resources of the islands, including the constraints for human habitation." (89-90)
    • "Figure 64. Palmer and Wetmore excavating in a bluff shelter on Nihoa during the 1923 Tanager Expedition." (92)
    • "Figure 65. An area of agricultural terracing on Nihoa, cleared by Emory during the Tanager Expedition." (93)
    • "Figure 66. Stone adzes and a sinker from Nihoa and Necker Islands, collected by the Tanager Expedition." (94)
      • "The artifacts collected by Emory and others on the island (Fig. 66) provide a few clues as to the identify of these former inhabitants. There is no question that they were East Polynesians, and the similarity of the Nihoa hammerstones, grindstones, adzes, fishhooks, and octopus lures to artifacts from the main Hawaiian Islands strongly suggests that Nihoa was settled from Hawaiʻi rather than directly from some island in the south Pacific. At the same time, the adzes are unlike the later, tanged quadrangular form of Hawaiian adz, but are nearly identical to the well-polished, incipiently tanged adz excavated from the early Halawa Dune Site on Molokaʻi. The single bone fishook recovered by Emory is likewise similar to types from serveral early Hawaiian sites. Of particular note are twenty-five whole or incomplete stone vessels, the most common form being a "jar' with nearly vertical sides. In shape, these well-made vessels are reminiscent of a late type of ceramics known as Polynesian Plain Ware, and they may reflect a continuity of tradition in vessel type."(93-94)
    • "Emory's account of the archaeological sites of Necker (1928), based on the Tanager Expedition findings, remains the most accurate and complete study of the island's prehistory. Three types of sites are present, including religious structures or marae (thrity-four examples), terraces (twenty-five sites), and bluff shelters (eight sites). By far the most significant of these are the marae." (96)
  • Evenhuis, Neal L. (ed.) (2004). Natural History of Nihoa and Necker Islands. Bishop Museum Bulletin in Cultural and Environmental Studies; No. 1. Honolulu, Hawaii: Bishop Museum Press. ISBN 1-58178-029-X. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
    • Nihoa: "The southern side of the island features a 15-30 m high sea cliff with a 1-2.5 m high, 3-5 meter-wide wave-cut terrace at its base; this terrace provided a landing site for the 1923 and 1924 Tanager Expedition boats." (15)
    • Geology: "Nihoa and Neker are small remnans of previously large volcanic islands located 250 and 510 km, respectively, northwest of Kauaʻi. Very little has been written on the geology of Nihoa and Necker Islands. Two trips to the islands on the Tanager Expeditions in 1923 and 1924 serve as our major references of geologic information." (25)
    • Nihoa: "The first rigorous survey of the cultural and natural history of NIhoa took plkace on 10 June 1923 when the Tanager Expedition arrived at Nihoa and dropped off scientists who set up camp. The next day, the Tanager went to Necker and dropped off a smaller party of scientist to work there and the two parties kept in contact via radio between the two islands. Archaeological, biological, hyrdographic, and geological work was conducted on Nihoa for about ten days. The specimens, artifacts, and data obtained during this expedition have served as the basis for all further studies on Nihoa and contributed a great deal toward out [sic] knowledge of the cultural and natural history. In 1924, the Tanager again visited Nihoa primarily to finish archaeological and geological work, but botanical collecting also took place...Numerous visits to the island were conducted subsequent to the Tanager Expedition with most focused on bird and plant observations. Some were done to assess the numbers of the rare loulu palm that had been devasted by the fire of 1885." (47)
    • Necker: "In 1923, the Tanager Expedition made visits to the island in June to conduct biological, archaeological, and geological research. In 1924, the National Research Council obtained the services of the Tanager once again, but this time to complete archaeological and geological research on the island."
  • Rauzon, Mark (2001). Isles of Refuge: Wildlife and History of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. University of Hawaii Press. Honolulu, Hawaii: Bishop Museum Press. ISBN 0824823303.
    • French Frigate Shoals; Whale-Skate Island: "In 1923, there were two vegetated islands, Whale and Skate. (A Pygmy Sperm Whale, very rare in Hawaiʻi, is the namesake for Whale Island, where a skeleton was collected by the Tanager Expedition. Skates and rays, which leap completely out of the water to display, may be the inspiration for the other island's name.)"[See Olson 1996] (69)
    • Birds of Midway;Fishing behavior of White Terns: "The only known specimen of a 2-inch long fish was obtained from a White Tern during the 1923 Tanager Expedition. It was named Gregoryina gygis, after Herbert E. Gregory, director of the Bishop Museum. [See Tinker 1978:237] ... Unfortunately for Dr. Gregory, it was later discovered that Gregoryina was a late postlarval stage of Cheilodactylus vittatus, and the unique nomenclature had to be displaced."[See Olson 1996] (170)
    • French Frigate Shoals; Gin Island: "...named by Dr. Wetmore of the Tanager Expedition for the fond memories recalled by an empty Gordon's Gin bottle found on the beach..." (56)
    • Gardner Pinnacles: "...it was the Tanager Expedition that made the first biological survey of Gardner Pinnacles. A crew of eight landed and made their way to the summit with little difficulty. On the climb up, they discovered spiders, mites, moths, centipedes, isopods, and earwigs under the rocks and found only one plant species—the succulent sea purslane. Nineteen species of seabirds have been recorded at Gardner, twelve of which breed there. The most interesting species is the Blue-gray Noddy, which has so few breeding sites in Hawaiʻ." (95)

Article

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USS Tanager (AM-5)

The Tanager Expedition was a series of five biological surveys of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands conducted in partnership between the Bureau of Biological Survey and the Bishop Museum, with the assistance of the U.S. Navy. Four expeditions occurred from April to August of 1923, and a fifth in July 1924. Led by Lieutenant Commander Samuel Wilder King on the minesweeper USS Tanager (AM-5), and Alexander Whitmore directing the team of scientists, the expedition studied the plant[1] animal life, and geology of the central Pacific islands. Noted members of the team include archaeologist Kenneth Emory and herpetologist Chapman Grant.

The expedition began with the goal of exterminating domestic rabbits that had been introduced to Laysan island by the guano industry in 1902. Since that time, the rabbits had devoured Laysan's vegetation and led to the extinction of several endemic species. The rabbits were eventually eliminated on Laysan, and the crew witnessed the extinction of the Laysan Honeycreeper (ʻApapane). Throughout the expedition, new species were discovered and named, and unique specimens were captured and returned to laboratories for further study. Over 100 archaeological sites were found, including ancient religious sites and settlements on Nihoa and Necker Island.

First expedition

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The first expedition departed Honolulu on April 4, 1923 and returned on May 4.[2] The team visited the island of Laysan, Pearl and Hermes Atoll, Midway Atoll, and Kure Atoll. When they spent a month on Laysan studying the endemic Laysan ʻApapane, a violent and sudden storm ravaged the island. After the storm, the crew concluded that the last three specimens of the ʻApapane had been killed.

Laysan island

Crew

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  • Alexander Wetmore (assistant biologist)
  • Stanley C. Ball (biologist)
  • J. W. Thompson (Bishop Museum)
  • David T. Fullaway (entomologist)
  • David Thaanum (conchologist)
  • Edward L. Caum (botanist)
  • Donald Ryder Dickey (photographer)
  • Charles E. Reno (rodent control specialist)
  • John Baker
  • Chapman Grant (Ornithology assistant, herpetologist)
  • Eric Schlemmer (general utility)

Second expedition

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The second expedition departed Honolulu on May 10.[2] The team visited the island of Laysan, the French Frigate Shoals and the Pearl and Hermes Atoll.

Pearl and Hermes Atoll

Crew

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  • Alexander Wetmore (assistant biologist)
  • Stanley C. Ball (biologist)
  • J. W. Thompson (Bishop Museum)
  • David T. Fullaway (entomologist)
  • David Thaanum (conchologist)
  • Edward L. Caum (botanist)
  • Donald Ryder Dickey (photographer)
  • Charles E. Reno (rodent control specialist)
  • John Baker
  • Chapman Grant (Ornithology assistant, herpetologist)
  • Eric Schlemmer (general utility)
  • L. A. Thurston
  • Gerrit P. Wilder (botanist)
  • F. R. Lawrence
  • Ted. Dranga
  • Austin Jones

Third expedition

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The third expedition departed Honolulu on June 9.[2] The team visited the islands of Necker, Nihoa, and the French Frigate Shoals. An attempt was also made to visit Kaula. Tanager arrived at Nihoa on June 10 and dropped off scientists for a ten-day visit and moved on to Necker the following day to drop off a second team. Both teams used radio to keep in constant communication between the two islands.[3] On Nihoa, botanist Edward Leonard Caum collected the first specimen of Amaranthus brownii and Alexander Wetmore discovered the Nihoa Millerbird and named it Acrocephalus familiaris kingi, in honor of Captain Samuel Wilder King.[4] Evidence of an ancient settlement on Nihoa was discovered, along with platforms, terraces, and human remains.[5]

On June 22, the Tanager arrived in the French Frigate Shoals and remained for six days, completing the first comprehensive survey of the atoll.[6] The expedition returned to Honolulu on July 1.[2]

Necker Island

Crew

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  • C. S. Judd (cartographer)
  • C. M. Cooke (conchologist)
  • E. H. Bryan, Jr. (entomologist)
  • H. S. Palmer (geologist)
  • Edward Leonard Caum (botanist)
  • Kenneth P. Emory (archaeologist)
  • A. L. C. Atkinson
  • Bruce Cartwright
  • A. G. Rice
  • W. G. Anderson

Fourth expedition

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The fourth expedition consisted of two teams, with the first departing Honolulu on July 7th.[2] Destinations included Johnston Atoll and Wake Island. The first team left on the Whippoorwill (AM-35), which made the first survey of Johnston Island in the 20th century. Aerial survey and mapping flights over Johnston were conducted with a Douglas DT-2 floatplane carried on her fantail, which was hoisted into the water for take off. Two destroyer convoys accompanied the expedition from Honolulu. The Tanager (AM-5) left Honolulu on July 16 and joined up with the Whippoorwill to complete the survey. From July 27 to August 5, the expedition surveyed Wake Island and named its islets: The southwest islet was named after Charles Wilkes who had led the United States Exploring Expedition in 1841 and determined the location of Wake Island. The northwest islet was named after Titian Peale, the chief naturalist for the 1841 expedition.

Johnston Atoll

Crew

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Whippoorwill
  • Alexander Wetmore (assistant biologist)
  • Charles Howard Edmonson (marine biologist)
  • Jas. B. Pollock (botanist)
  • E. H. Bryan, Jr.
  • W. G. Anderson
  • Max Schlemmer, Jr.
Tanager
  • H. S. Palmer
  • David Thaanum (conchologist)
  • G. R. Mann (surveyor)
  • Orme Cheatham

Fifth expedition

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The fifth expedition visited Nihoa and Necker Island in 1924.[7] Archaeologist Kenneth P. Emory of the Bishop Museum cleared out 60 sites on Nihoa and collected and cataloged artifacts.[5] The expedition visited Necker from July 14-17.

Crew

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This list is incomplete

  • Stanley C. Ball (biologist)
  • E. H. Bryan, Jr.
  • Edward L. Caum (botanist)
  • Erling Christophersen (botanist)
  • Donald Ryder Dickey (photographer)
  • Kenneth Emory (archaeologist)
  • David T. Fullaway (entomologist)
  • Chapman Grant (Ornithology assistant, herpetologist)
  • Herbert E. Gregory (Director, Bishop Museum)
  • C. S. Judd (cartographer)
  • A. J. Ker
  • Commander Samuel W. King
  • Charles E. Reno (rodent control specialist)
  • Eric Schlemmer (general utility)
  • David Thaanum (conchologist)
  • J. W. Thompson (Bishop Museum)
  • Alexander Wetmore (assistant biologist)
  • Gerrit P. Wilder (botanist)
  • T. Wilson

Repatriation

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In 1990, the U.S. congress passed the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act which requires federal agencies and institutions that receive federal funding to return Native American cultural items and human remains to their people. In the 1990s, Hui Mālama (Hui Mālama I Na Kūpuna O Hawaiʻi Nei), a Native Hawaiian group, spent two years petitioning the United States Fish and Wildlife Service for the release of the bones (iwi) from seven Hawaiian skeletons originally taken from Nihoa and Necker Island by the Tanager Expedition in 1924. Although the bones were owned by the USFWS, the Bishop Museum acted as custodian.[8] The bones were finally released to the group, and in November, 1997, Hui Mālama chartered a yacht and travelled to Nihoa and Necker to rebury the remains.[9]

Notes

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  1. ^ Christophersen & Caum 1931
  2. ^ a b c d e Thrum 1923, p.92
  3. ^ Evenhuis & Eldredge 2004, p.47
  4. ^ Rauzon 2001, p.18
  5. ^ a b Emory 1928
  6. ^ Amerson 1971
  7. ^ Hīroa 1945, p.47
  8. ^ Rauzon 2001, pp.44-51
  9. ^ Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources 2008, p.12

References

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Further reading

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  • Ayau (2002). "Ka Huakaʻi o Na Oʻiwi - The Journey Home". In Cressida Fforde, Jane Hubert, Paul Turnbull (ed.). The Dead and Their Possessions: Repatriation in Principle, Policy, and Practice. Routledge. pp. 171–189. ISBN 0415344492. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
  • Palmer, H. S. (1927). "Geology of Kaula, Nihoa, Necker and Gardner Islands, and French Frigate Shoals". Bernice P. Bishop Museum Bulletin. Tanager Expedition Publication Number 4. 35.
  • Wetmore, Alexander (July 1925). "Bird Life among Lava Rock and Coral Sand; Photographs Taken on a Scientific Expedition to Little-known Islands of Hawaii". National Geographic. 48 (1). National Geographic Society: 76–108.
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NWHI Searchable Online Cultural Collection Database at the Bishop Museum
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