Cuscus Hunters of Obi: Preliminary Zooarchaeological Analysis of Obi Island, Maluku Utara

Phoebe Barnes*, Shimona Kealy, and Sue O’Connor

The island of Obi, despite its relatively small size, has revealed an archaeological record spanning approximately 18,000 BP, providing insight into human movement, occupation, and environmental interactions in the region since the Late Pleistocene. Located in Maluku Utara, in northern Wallacea, Obi is strategically positioned to explore human dispersal throughout the region. This paper presents the preliminary results of taxonomic and taphonomic analysis of the faunal assemblages excavated at Kelo 2 and 6 as part of the first archaeological excavations on the island. These include remains of the endemic Rothschild’s Cuscus (Phalanger rothschildi) and several endemic murid species contributing to long-term records of human interactions with endemic fauna on Obi. This presentation will situate these new faunal results from Obi within broader regional discussions of early human movement from Sunda to Sahul, and explore debates surrounding subsistence strategies, resource use, and human-environmental interactions on small islands during the Pleistocene and Holocene. In doing so, we will show how faunal research on Obi emphasises the importance of small and previously understudied islands in understanding human-animal interactions and biogeographic patterns in Wallacea as humans first moved through the region.