John Kalolo

Tokelau Science Education and Research Program: Atafu Fieldwork August 2008 John Kalolo

This book describes an community-based educational and research project aimed at documenting the rich archaeological heritage of Tokelau. Botany, human ecology, and marine resource management were studied on Atafu Atoll in 2008. The book contains initial research results and lots of photos of the Atafu community. Tokelau is a group of three tiny atolls in the South Pacific. These remote islands are off the beaten track today, but may have played a critical role in the dispersal of the Polynesian peoples and in the initial colonization of East Polynesia including the Marquesas Islands, Hawai'i, Tahiti, and the Cook Islands. The people of Tokelau long ago developed sustainable resource management skills that allowed them to thrive on a small land base with limited terrestrial resources.