Honor previous work on Samoan Housing site

Editor’s Note: The following statement was submitted by the author on March 9, 2015, at the public hearing held by the Division of Coastal Resources Management board at the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center on the archaeological dig that Best Sunshine Int’l Ltd. will do in Garapan. This statement provides general information about the significant prehistoric site (SP-1-0762), which was the subject of previous archaeological investigations from 1996 to 1999. This site is located within the former Samoan Housing area.

Good evening! I am Michael A. Fleming, principal investigator for Swift and Harper Archaeological Resource Consulting, better known as SHARC. My goal is to provide a brief history of Site SP-1-0762 that is now being considered for development by Best Sunshine and to bring attention to a culturally important issue that requires immediate resolution.

Background

It has come to our attention that a major siting development together with ongoing archaeological investigations are being planned and conducted at Site SP-1-0762. This area is the former Samoan Housing and Nakamoto Development property located in Garapan, Saipan. This culturally important site is a prehistoric Latte Period to Spanish Contact Period village containing human remains, archaeological features, and various artifacts. Features include earth ovens, shell refuse pits, and postholes for former structures of both wood pole or latte stone construction.

Artifacts included plainware (Latte Period) pottery, shell tools (fish hooks, adze) and ornaments (beads), groundstone materials, sling stones, basalt pounders, charcoal, and marine shell. Spanish artifacts were also recovered including musket and cannon balls. While gastropods, including the popular Strombus dogas shell, dominate the shell assemblage, bivalves are also present. The investigations also uncovered a prehistoric layer of burned, charcoal-rich soil containing plainware pottery and artifacts in an area measuring c. 15 m by 10 m (150 square meters). The historic record reports that, during the Contact Period, many villages were burned (circa late 1600s) in retaliation for resistance to Spain’s missionary efforts. This burned deposit remains in place and is extremely significant for its potential to portray an event, important both locally and regionally, that made a contribution to the broad pattern of the history of Saipan and the Mariana Islands.

This culturally sensitive property was intensively investigated by SHARC between the years 1996 and 1999. To date, this is the largest and most intensive archaeological investigation ever conducted in the CNMI. During our investigations, approximately 95 percent of the proposed hotel footprint was cleared of archaeological materials. More than 260 human remains and 50 archaeological features were treated according to the HPO stipulations by SHARC. It is important to emphasize that, while a large number of burials were excavated from this site, a great probability exists that an equal number or more burials may still exist outside the building footprint. The large number of burials and remaining intact deposits at this site contribute to make this one of the most significant archaeological sites in the CNMI. The condition of the burials and the recovery of a larger than usual amount of slingstones suggests that the village may have been occupied prior to and during the time of the Spanish-Chamorro wars, circa AD 1684. Poignant discoveries included a high number of child burials. A probable cause for the high rate of child mortality may have been contagious diseases. In the historical records, these are referred to as ship’s sickness (alluding to disease spread by the Spanish galleons). Additionally, and unique to our understanding of ancient Chamorro practices, several burials were blanketed with hundreds of sling stones. These lines of evidence suggest that the time frame extends earlier for site occupation. Consequently, it will be necessary to obtain specific dates through radiocarbon dating. Site SP-1-0762 continues to provide a unique and significant glimpse into the past life ways of the Chamorro people. In addition to the investigation within the proposed building footprint, a systematic excavation of backhoe trenches over the entire project area was conducted by SHARC.

It may be noted that, during the excavation of the site by SHARC, we encouraged and accommodated visitors including the man’amko and students from both the public and private school systems. In 1999 alone, we had over 600 school students from both PSS and the college visit the site while excavations were ongoing. Poignantly, the man’amko visited the site and were gratified to find that the human remains were their ancestors—at the time it was believed that the area only contained Japanese WWII remains. Finally, SHARC employed local, post-high school, youths from Saipan to provide them with an intensive archaeological experience in scientific procedure and methods for the proper and respectful recording of both the human remains and associated features and artifacts. They excelled in their work and felt that it was a way for their ancestors to still teach them of their prehistoric past. Several members went on to gainful employment at the Historic Preservation Office, others joined the private sector as respected and members of the workforce and community, and others continued to work with SHARC.

Unfortunately in 1999, Mr. Nakamoto was unable to secure investors for his project and he was forced to abandon the island and his responsibilities for the archaeological investigation. At that time, SHARC was able to secure the funding that covered the fieldwork only. Funding for the laboratory analyses of the artifacts, specialist’s costs (i.e. osteological, radiocarbon, wood identification, faunal, etc.) as well as all required reports was not given to SHARC. In the 15 years that have elapsed since Mr. Nakamoto abandoned the project, we have met with the HPO numerous times when potential investors or local projects were proposed for this project area. In all of these meetings the HPO assured us that the first condition for any developer would be to have the condition that the previous archaeological materials (i.e. human remains, artifacts, and botanical and other samples) would be analyzed, drafting of all pertinent maps, and the completion of all required reports.

Although costly, the benefit to the developer would be an area that had previously been cleared of any cultural findings. Construction in these archaeologically-cleared areas would mean no hindrance to construction time and expenses. Given the cultural richness of the site, this saves the developer much time and expense.

Resolution

SHARC has now stored all of the artifacts, samples, and a portion of the human remains in our lab for 15 years. We were surprised that, with this new project now commenced, Best Sunshine has not formally approached SHARC in an attempt to complete this previous critical work.

No mention of the obligation to SHARC has been forthcoming to date. SHARC has been, and is, poised to start the various archaeological tasks necessary to complete this vital contribution to both the historic and prehistoric past of the Northern Mariana Islands. We have a team of professional specialists on standby as well to help us in this endeavor.

In lieu of the above importance of this site, we respectfully request consideration and a resolution to this pertinent issue. Specifically: Due to the copious amount of sensitive information pertaining to the history of the Chamorro people of the CNMI that our excavations at Site SP-1-0762 revealed, it is imperative that Best Sunshine honor the ancestral heritage and previous work conducted by SHARC. We humbly request that Best Sunshine agree to pay for the analyses and report production to SHARC. This is of utmost necessity and undoubtedly in the best interest of Historic Preservation! We request a clear understanding on the treatment of the previous materials and reporting in regards to the project proposed by Best Sunshine on this property.

Thank you for your kind attention to this matter. We look forward to a speedy resolution to this critical and culturally sensitive issue.

Michael A. Fleming is principal investigator of Swift and Harper Archaeological Resource Consulting. This article is an unsolicited and unpaid for contribution by the author.