Kikuchi Center, which honors the late archaeologist and Emeritus Professor William “Pila” Kikuchi, is inviting the public to the center鈥檚 first artist showcase. Carol Araki Wyban, will present her book and artwork Tide and Current: Fishponds of Hawaiʻi at 4 p.m. on September 19 in the Learning Resource Center.

The Kikuchi Center鈥檚 opening event will showcase efforts to preserve the legacy of Kikuchi鈥檚 work with fishponds. The art inspired by Kikuchi鈥檚 research has been exhibited at the Bishop Museum and the Volcano Art Center and will now find a permanent home at the Kikuchi Center.

The Kikuchi Collection

Kikuchi鈥檚 career in archaeology and anthropology spanned five decades. Kauaʻi CC Archivist Jason Ford has been leading the efforts to archive and digitize the Kikuchi Collection since 2022. The collection is now partially available online at . These include copies of Kikuchi鈥檚 Archeology on Kauaʻi newsletter and fishpond notes. Ford said his team has been prioritizing materials that are most beneficial to local and Pacific Region researchers, and materials with digital display quality.

“With the Kikuchi Collection containing a variety of multimedia materials, there remains a lot of items to be digitized for inclusion in the online repository,” Ford said. “We have made great progress in getting some of Kikuchi鈥檚 famous and lesser known research online, thus, making the online repository available to the public sooner rather than later. I know the community has been waiting on the repository, in some cases for decades, and so we are excited to be able to offer this now at this time.”

Inspired by Kikuchi

Wyban鈥檚 art highlights the importance of Hawaiian fishponds, which she describes as a vital link to ancient Hawaiian practices of sustainable land and water use. She has worked at maintaining and reviving ancient fishponds across the state, using Kikuchi鈥檚 research as a guidebook.

“Fishponds are a window into ancient Hawaiʻi and how the Hawaiians developed the land and water in a conscious, sustainable manner,” Wyban said. “They are a resource for the future because they can still be revived and used for food production, education and to teach people the importance of working with nature.”

The opening of the Kikuchi Center marks a significant step in making Kikuchi’s work accessible to the public and promoting ongoing education and research on Hawaiian fishponds.

The placed in the nation鈥檚 top 20 in eight subjects, the best performance by 糖心Vlog官方鈥檚 flagship institution in the .

Released April 10, QS鈥檚 2024 version of the rankings listed 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa among the nation鈥檚 best in the following categories:

• Linguistics: No. 10 U.S., No. 22 world
• Hospitality and leisure management: No. 15 U.S., No. 46 world
• Anthropology: No. 19 U.S., No. 51–100 world
• Modern languages: No. 19 U.S., No. 101–150 world
• Geophysics: No. 20 U.S., No. 47 world
• Geology: No. 20 U.S., No. 49 world
• Earth and marine sciences: No. 20 U.S., No. 51–100 world
• Geography: No. 20 U.S., No. 101–150 world

“These rankings are a testament to the excellence of our faculty and the dedication of our entire staff,” 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa Provost Michael Bruno said. “To the communities that we serve, they affirm that this university represents the very best in scholarship and education. And to our prospective students and their families, the rankings are a strong endorsement of the quality and value of an education from 糖心Vlog官方 惭腻苍辞补.&谤诲辩耻辞;

糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa also placed in the nation鈥檚 top 50 in nine additional subjects:

• English language and literature: No. 30 U.S., No. 101–150 world
• Archaeology: No. 30 U.S., No. 151–200 world
• Agriculture and forestry: No. 34 U.S., No. 151–200 world
• Physics and astronomy: No. 39 U.S., No. 151–200 world
• Sociology: No. 42 U.S., No. 201–250 world
• Politics: No. 44 U.S., No. 201–250 world
• Communication and media studies: No. 46 U.S., No. 151–200 world
• Arts and humanities: No. 47 U.S., No. 210 world
• Environmental sciences: No. 49 U.S., No. 251–300 world

糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa was ranked in four broad subject areas and 24 narrow subject areas. The QS World University Rankings by Subject are calculated using five criteria: academic reputation (survey responses from academics), employer reputation (survey responses from graduate employers worldwide), research citations per paper (citations data sourced from鈥疎lsevier Scopus), H-index (measures most cited papers and the number of citations) and international research network (reflects ability to diversify the geography of their international research network).

The 2024 edition of the rankings by global higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds analyzed the performance of more than 16,400 university programs, taken by students at more than 1,500 universities in 96 locations around the world.

Recent rankings

糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa also received these notable rankings:

• 2024 U.S. News and World Report鈥檚 Best Graduate Schools rankings, April 9, 2024
• QS World University Rankings: Sustainability, December 11, 2023
• 2023 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects released by the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy, October 29, 2023

For more information on rankings, see the .

—By Marc Arakaki

One experience can change the trajectory of your life. That鈥檚 something that rings true for a group of sixth-grade students from 膧liamanu Elementary School who found themselves on a journey that would spark newfound passions and open new possibilities. It all began with a visit to a lab with James M. Bayman, a University of Hawaiʻi at M膩noa archaeologist and professor.

Armed with calipers and scales, students analyzed artifacts of Mesopotamia, noting weights, measurements and colors. After recording their findings, students participated in a critical analysis exercise that touched on how the artifacts might have been used by ancient civilizations.

“I thought archaeology was the study of bones of ancient creatures and the geography of pyramids and jungle sites. I learned that it also includes the study of small things like arrowheads,” marveled one student. “I learned that arrowheads were used by ancient people for hunting. Before I thought it was just something they held on to.”

Another student said, “I thought archaeology was like the science you see in movies, like mixing chemicals and stuff, but it is a lot more. I would 100% want to become an archaeologist now.”

Bayman knows firsthand how the power of a single moment can set you on a new course in life. As a young explorer, a curiosity about nature and fascination with ancient societies and cultures was enriched by his discovery of a remote archaeology site in the Southwestern U.S.

“It was enchanting to find a place where past people lived their lives,” said Bayman.

Now, he is paying it forward and sharing the joys and wonders of his field with a new generation of students.

“Our sixth-grade students have worked hard to research the artifacts of Mesopotamia to understand how they told about history. For our students to be able to engage with real artifacts of history is an experience many would not have had without the help of Professor Bayman—for that we are truly grateful. This is a huge step for the Radford Complex Area鈥檚 efforts to provide students with learning opportunities beyond the walls of the classroom,” said Sandra Yoshimi, 膧liamanu Elementary School principal.

The is in the in the .

Feathered Gods and Fishhooks: The Archaeology of Ancient Hawaiʻi by renowned archaeologist Patrick V. Kirch has been reimagined and expanded in a new and updated 2023 edition. The first edition was described nearly 40 years ago as a “pioneering synthesis of ancient Hawaiian civilization from an archaeological perspective.” The new edition is a complete rewrite of the 1985 book and provides readers with a comprehensive and essential resource for understanding the fascinating archaeological history of Hawaiʻi.

“This new edition synthesizes a vast array of research and literature accumulated over the past four decades,” said Kirch, professor in the at the University of Hawaiʻi at M膩noa. “It begins with a historical review of changing archaeological practice in Hawaiʻi, then delves into the origins of the Polynesians and Hawaiians, exploring eight centuries of gradual cultural change, which culminated in the unique Hawaiian culture encountered by European explorers in the late 18th century.”

Succeeding chapters of the book, co-authored with Mark D. McCoy, professor of anthropology at Florida State University, review traditional agricultural systems, the archaeology of everyday life, ceremonial and temple sites (heiau), and the cultural transformations that transpired following contact with the Western world. Six final chapters review the main archaeological sites of the principal islands.

This updated edition incorporates nearly four decades of research findings since the book’s initial publication, with significant discoveries including:

1. A revised understanding of when Polynesians first arrived in Hawaiʻi—AD 1000 rather than AD 400—based on major improvements in radiocarbon dating.
2. New knowledge regarding when large heiau began to be constructed, and on the multiple functions of heiau as places of astronomical observation and men鈥檚 ritualized craft activities.
3. Appreciation of the scale and importance of the vast dryland farming systems on Hawaiʻi Island and Maui, and the roles these played in the Hawaiian political economy.
4. Integration of the archaeological record of cultural change with the Indigenous Hawaiian moʻolelo (oral histories), and the recognition that these moʻolelo are real histories, not just “myth.”
5. More nuanced understanding of how the rural landscapes of the islands were transformed in the decades following European arrival.

“The real value of the book is bringing together, in one source, the results of literally hundreds of disparate studies, and making sense of them in a coherent account of the Hawaiian past. Anyone with a desire to know something about the ancient history of a particular place, or about a particular topic such as heiau, can turn to Feathered Gods and Fishhooks for a detailed synthesis along with a comprehensive bibliography of sources,鈥� said Kirch.

Feathered Gods and Fishhooks: The Archaeology of Ancient Hawaiʻi is .

During a career in archaeology and anthropology that spanned almost 50 years, the late Emeritus Professor William Kenji “Pila” Kikuchi was an expert on many subjects including the ancient sinkhole called Makauwahi that has been referred to as “the Olduvai Gorge or La Brea Tar Pits of Hawaiʻi” because of its rich array of fossils. His collection of work is currently housed at the college, where he taught for 38 years.

In September, a blessing was held at the college鈥檚 Learning Resource Center where the collection resides and the new archival Kikuchi Center is being established. There are more than 550 books and personal field journals with 8,000+ items still to be examined.

“Kauaʻi Community College recognizes the valuable contributions Dr. Kikuchi made to our students and within the field of Native Hawaiian archaeology,” said Chancellor Joseph Daisy. “We are honored to care for this important collection and make it accessible as a learning and research resource for our students and the broader community here in Hawaiʻi.”

The college has hired Jason Ford to serve as the Kikuchi archivist to process the physical collection, digitize the materials and develop online modules that faculty can embed into curricula. Ford is a recent graduate of the library and information science master’s program at the University of Hawaiʻi at M膩noa.

The collection will soon be available to the public both physically and online.

For his work including Pāʻulaʻula, a significant Hawaiian royal residence on Kauaʻi that was formerly known as the “Russian Fort Elizabeth,” the (SHA) has recognized University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Professor Peter Mills with the 2022 Public Archaeology Award.

The award, which was presented during SHA鈥檚 convention held September 30–October 2 at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, recognizes individuals or groups who reach a broad audience in their local communities and seek to involve these communities in their archaeological efforts.

“What makes the award really special is that it reflects a central role for 糖心Vlog官方 Hilo in sustained efforts to improve heritage management programs in the Pacific by reaching out to descendant communities,” said Mills. “I have greatly benefited from working with so many students with deep passions and connections to cultural stewardship.”

With this award, SHA recognizes the importance of playing an active role in public education concerning Hawaiian archaeology and disseminating research.

“By promoting understanding of Hawaiian cultural sites both for local people and visitors to the Hawaiian Islands, they encourage greater compassion and commitment to these significant places,” reads the SHA awards statement. “Raising public awareness of the importance of these places can help to discourage commercialism and to eliminate collecting, buying, or selling archaeological materials.”

Mills has been a faculty member in 糖心Vlog官方 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 anthropology department since 1997. He has made profound positive impacts through his commitment to public-oriented scholarship, and has increased access to educational and professional training opportunities, particularly through the development of 糖心Vlog官方 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 program.

In particular, the Public Archaeology Award recognizes Mills鈥� work at Pāʻulaʻula, a significant Hawaiian royal residence on the southwest side of Kauaʻi that was commonly known as “Russian Fort Elizabeth” for the last century.

Mills鈥檚 work at Pāʻulaʻula extends back to his dissertation research at the University of California, Berkeley, which later developed into his book, Hawaiʻi鈥檚 Russian Adventure: A New Look at Old History. More recently, Mills and collaborators combined archival documents, maps, photographs and archaeological research to build three-dimensional models of the site and increase community engagement with Pāʻulaʻula.

“His efforts in bringing this history forward has played a role in re-shaping public understanding of Pāʻulaʻula,” noted SHA award statement. “This year, the Hawaiʻi Board of Land and Natural Resources voted unanimously to rename Russian Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park to Pāʻulaʻula State Historic Site. This decision is an important commitment to recognizing Pāʻulaʻula鈥檚 role in Native Hawaiian history.”

For more, visit the .

—By Susan Enright

In the wake of Hawaiʻi Archaeology Week (September 26–October 2), the joins two non-profit organizations to launch the , an open-access title that will soon accept submissions for its inaugural issue.

The new journal will be co-edited by Mara Mulrooney and Jillian Swift, who are both affiliate graduate faculty at 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa. The two editors developed the publication as a forum to bring together important research and conversations around archaeology, history and heritage management in Polynesia. The editorial board is comprised of 糖心Vlog官方 faculty including Professors Patrick V. Kirch (anthropology, 糖心Vlog官方 惭腻苍辞补), Ty P. Kawika Tengan (ethnic studies, 糖心Vlog官方 惭腻苍辞补), Seth Quintus (anthropology, 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa) and Peter Mills (anthropology, 糖心Vlog官方 Hilo), among others.

“The Journal of Polynesian Archaeology and Research will continue the tradition of publishing cutting-edge results of archaeological research in Hawaiʻi and throughout Polynesia, as well as providing a forum for discussion and debate regarding archaeological practice in the region,” noted Kirch. “I expect that the journal will be an essential resource for both scholars and the engaged public.”

Free and open access

For more than three decades, both of the journal鈥檚 sponsoring organizations—the Society for Hawaiian Archaeology and the Easter Island Foundation—have been committed to promoting research and dialogue on the archaeology of Polynesia. While distribution of previous publications were limited to members, this new journal will be published open-access and freely available to all readers.

This fall, the editors will review manuscripts through the journal submission system (forthcoming) and publish the first issue in 2023 on , 糖心Vlog官方鈥檚 open-access, digital institutional repository for both the university community and researchers around the world.

The Journal of Polynesian Archaeology and Research will replace two journals that will cease publication, Hawaiian Archaeology (published by the Society for Hawaiian Archaeology) and Rapa Nui Journal (published by 糖心Vlog官方 Press in collaboration with the Easter Island Foundation). Throughout the past 30 years, Rapa Nui Journal published more than 33 volumes, and Hawaiian Archaeology published 15 volumes and four special publications. The archive of both publications will also be freely available via eVols.

Egypt, known for the pyramids and the sphinx, is the summer destination for three University of Hawaiʻi at M膩noa students who are part of the in the . They will spend five weeks in an ancient Egyptian city in the Nile Delta through July 31. The exotic journey is part of the 糖心Vlog官方 Tell Timai Project, where students participate in archaeological activities at the Tell Timai site, which was a flourishing city from 500 B.C. to about 600 A.D. for the Egyptians followed by Greeks and then the Romans.

“The students will get training in archaeological methods, learn about material remains, and relate material culture to the written records,” said Robert Littman, a classics professor who has spearheaded the project since its inception in 2009. “By working on the remains of an ancient city they will gain greater understanding of the history of mankind.”

To date, more than 50 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa students have traveled to Egypt where they assist in high-tech surveys and meticulous digging to uncover the settlement鈥檚 buildings and artifacts, such as pottery, coins and broken columns. Kali Konopko just earned her BA in classics this spring. The aspiring law school student has been enthralled with Egyptian artifacts and coins since she was a young girl.

“It鈥檒l be nice to be able to immerse myself in a world that I鈥檝e studied since I was little,” Konopko said. “It鈥檚 just gonna be amazing to re-create the culture for myself and being able to see the pyramids and the Valley of the Kings and Queens and make it real.”

According to Littman, students must study up to two years of ancient Egyptian language and written texts as a prerequisite for the trip. It鈥檚 a realm Becca Lensing, a PhD candidate in marine biology at 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa, fell into by chance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unable to complete much work outside of her home in 2020, she decided to enroll in Littman鈥檚 ancient civilization course online. The microbiologist developed a fascination with hieroglyphics and ancient Egyptian bread.

“One of the reasons I鈥檓 interested in ancient baking is, I believe it tasted better back then. Us modern people, we鈥檙e just not baking the bread in the same way as they did.”

Lensing is hoping to find old beer bottles at the excavation site that still carry traces of liquid she hopes to use as yeast to bake batches of bread reminiscent of old Egypt.

Cleopatra perfume

In 2012, Littman and 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa adjunct professor Jay Silverstein uncovered what was thought to be the house of a perfume merchant at the Tell Timai site. The 糖心Vlog官方 professors found glass kilns containing some sort of liquid that later analysis and recreation by perfume experts using ancient Greek texts, led to the reproduction of the myrrh (a natural gum or resin extracted from a number of small, thorny tree species)-based Mendesian and the Metopian perfumes that some claim may have been worn by the famed Egyptian ruler, Cleopatra.

• Related 糖心Vlog官方 News story: Cleopatra鈥檚 ancient perfume recreated, July 30, 2019

An archaeological field research project that takes a bottom-up approach to better understand the Angkorian empire just received a four-year, $318,359 . Led by University of Hawaiʻi at M膩noa Professor Miriam Stark and University of Oregon faculty member Alison Carter, the project focuses on the everyday lives of the Angkor people.

“Most historians chronicle the history of rulers: their dynastic sequence, their achievements and their monuments. Our work focuses instead on the people who made Angkor function,” said Stark. “Although Angkor is one of the largest preindustrial settlements in the world and has been the focus of substantial scholarly attention, we still know little about the people of Angkor: who built the temples, kept the shrines running, produced food, managed the water and farmed the crops that supported the empire. The P鈥檛eah Cambodia project will study Angkor households and their activities, and explore the roles of households and non-elites in the Cambodian past.”

The P鈥檛eah Cambodia research team, co-directed by Stark and Carter and their Cambodian collaborators, will conduct mapping, excavating and post-fieldwork analysis in the Angkorian site of Prasat Baset in Battambang Province. Seng Khang and Jaratnapa Surinlert, two 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa archaeology graduate students who specialize in Southeast Asian archaeology, will also participate.

Greater Angkor, the Angkorian capital, was connected to and dependent on large provincial centers that channeled goods and labor to the capital, such as the Battambang Province. Battambang, once called the rice granary of Cambodia, traditionally produced big agricultural surpluses and was also a historically contested boundary area between Cambodia and Thailand. Its population was wealthy and a bit independent from the two nation-states.

The P鈥檛eah Cambodia project is a collaboration between Cambodia鈥檚 Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa鈥檚 Department of Anthropology, and the University of Oregon鈥檚 Anthropology program. It is the fifth consecutive project in Cambodia that 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa鈥檚 anthropology department has hosted since the 1990鈥檚 as part of a decades-long collaboration between 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa and Cambodia鈥檚 Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts.

糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa鈥檚 Department of Anthropology is housed in the .

This work is an example of 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa鈥檚 goal of (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

World renowned scholar in Greek history and literature, ancient medicine and archaeology Robert Littman celebrated 50 years at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in September. Littman was recruited by 糖心Vlog官方 in 1971 and is a professor in the (CALL). He is known for, among other things, helping recreate Cleopatra鈥檚 perfume and a project based in Egypt where 糖心Vlog官方 students participate in the excavation of an ancient city.

糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa pursued Littman when he was at Brandeis University in Boston. Littman鈥檚 wife suggested that they go to Hawaiʻi for what they thought would be one year, and it turned into more than five decades. Littman earned a BA in classical languages from Columbia University, a masters in ancient history from the University of Oxford and a PhD in classical philology from Columbia University.

“One of the things I鈥檝e appreciated about being out in Hawaiʻi is, since I teach in a small program that is not very specialized, I have not been pigeonholed,” said Littman. “I鈥檝e had the opportunity to diversify my academic work here. I started out as a classicist and historian with a little bit of archaeology. And in Hawaiʻi, I鈥檝e gradually shifted into biblical studies in both Hebrew bible and Greek bible and biblical history. And then I expanded my work in Egyptology in both teaching and researching in the ancient Egyptian language and moving into Egyptian archaeology.”

Littman鈥檚 achievements

Littman has amassed a myriad of accomplishments over his time at 糖心Vlog官方 including: being selected as the 2018 recipient of the Martha and Artemis Joukowsky Distinguished Service Award; he was part of a team who recreated Cleopatra鈥檚 ancient perfume, which was showcased in a National Geographic exhibit; he was involved in producing the digital edition of the Codex Sinaiticus, the oldest New Testament and Greek version of the Old Testament dating from the 4th century A.D.; and he co-published the illustrated children鈥檚 history book, The Story of Ancient Timai.

Littman continues to direct the 糖心Vlog官方 , the excavation of the ancient city of Thmouis in Timai El Amdid, Egypt in the Nile Delta that started in 2007. To date, more than 200 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa students as well as students from other universities, have traveled to Egypt to participate in the excavation of Thmouis, a flourishing city from 500 B.C. to about 600 A.D. for the Egyptians followed by Greeks and then the Romans.

While on excavations students are exposed to ancient Egyptian culture, they learn about archaeological techniques, and they help with pottery washing on site.

“My first job was in a commercial kitchen washing dishes, and I guess I鈥檓 still doing it, only it鈥檚 [ancient Egyptian] pottery, and I usually get the students to wash it now,” Littman said.

Related 糖心Vlog官方 News stories:

• Cleopatra鈥檚 ancient perfume recreated, July 30, 2019
• 糖心Vlog官方 professor leading excavation in Egypt receives national archaeology award, November 24, 2017
• 糖心Vlog官方 Tell Timai project provides books to children of Egypt, July 27, 2015

50 years of advancement

Littman has experienced dramatic changes in the university over 50 years. Two years after he was recruited, 糖心Vlog官方 started the and the in 1973. Changes in technology have also completely revolutionized education and research. In his early days, Littman was unable to conduct much of his research at 糖心Vlog官方 because sufficient resources were not available at the library. However, with the rise of the internet over his academic career, Littman is now able to access most publications online.

The nature of Littman鈥檚 research has shifted, not just archaeologically, but with the changes in science and scientific techniques. One area he works in is the history of medicine, particularly pandemics.

“When I started out, most of my work was looking at clinical symptoms,” said Littman. “Over time in the 1970s and 80s, as the field of epidemiology developed, I teamed up with various epidemiologists from the University of Hawaiʻi and we looked at epidemiological approaches to the analysis of ancient disease. And now, in the last five years, I鈥檝e teamed up with the newest aspect which is looking at ancient DNA. So those developments in the field over the last 50 years, have paralleled my own professional development of moving into newer and newer techniques in the archeological fields.”

When asked if he had any plans for retirement, Littman chuckled and replied, “I am much too young!” His love of teaching and passion for training the next generation of classicists, historians and archeologists is what inspires him to continue his work at 糖心Vlog官方.

This work is an example of 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa鈥檚 goal of (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.