Stone-built Graves and Funerary Variability on Alofi Island (West Polynesia): Preliminary Comparison Between Archaeothanatological Results and Oral Traditions

Valentin Frederique1*, Wanda Zinger2, Christophe Sand3, Ipasio Masei4, and Hemmamuthe Goudiaby5

Located in the centre of the Pacific, Alofi and its neighbouring island Futuna (Hoorn Island, West Polynesia) have been the focus of extensive ethnographical studies during the first half of the 20th century, documenting local society, customs and oral traditions. Subsequently, during the second half of the 20th century, an ethnoarchaeological program undertaken between 1982 and 1985 led to the inventory of a number of archaeological features, including former villages, meeting places, and burial grounds. Our recent surveys conducted on Alofi Island (2019–2025) resulted in the recording and mapping of nine large cemeteries and smaller burial sites dated to the second millennium CE, a period during which intense regional interactions and strong chiefdoms developed. These burial grounds comprise small and large graves with elaborated stone architecture, traditionally interpreted through oral records/narratives as marking the resting place of individuals of high status. In this presentation, we compare preliminary archaeothanatological observations from the excavations of nine small and large graves with oral traditions, shedding light on unexpected funerary practices. Our results reveal a previously undocumented diversity of burial treatments and suggest the presence of individuals not mentioned in ethnohistorical accounts. These findings contribute to a reassessment of the relationship between funerary architecture, social status, and collective memory in West Polynesia.