Learning from Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Sāmoa: Supporting Community-Centred Socio- Ecological Resilience

Harris Shapiro

In Sāmoa, LiDAR reveals networks of ditches, terraces, and other earthen- and stone-monumental architectural features. This expands the study of archaeological landscapes beyond specific sites to study niche construction at regional scales with more advanced geospatial methods. My research tests the hypothesis that Sāmoa’s ancient ditches and terraces were crucial components in constructing a resilient socio-ecological system in the past. As a component of niche construction, these agricultural networks further benefit interconnected ecosystems by regulating water flow and controlling flooding, mitigating consequent soil saturation via effective drainage, reducing erosion, and maintaining the integrity of Sāmoa’s soil nutrients. Through excavations in Solosolo-uta on ‘Upolu Island, this research suggests that ancestral Sāmoans not only knew how to target specific soils for agricultural production but also recognized the importance of monumental water control features for supporting local agricultural production and maximizing crop yields. These precolonial planned landscapes reflect the richness of Sāmoan ancestors’ traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). Such an intimate understanding of adapting to variable island environments and engineering those settled landscapes for long-term stability still serves Pacific Islander communities today. In an applied sense, revitalizing such TEK and associated land management practices may simultaneously draw further connections to related Pacific Islander communities, promote an adaptation strategy for other indigenous island and coastal communities preparing for increasingly powerful and more frequent rainfall events due to a rapidly changing climate, indicate how these ancient features could be integrated into modern efforts to enhance climate resilient food production, and support grassroots food sovereignty initiatives.