Sunday, our final day

We rise once more for church in the morning, donning our white clothes, taking our hand-woven fans. A memorial service follows for a deceased relative in New Zealand for which a feast has been prepared over the past few days. It is not yet the time for goodbyes, that will come tomorrow morning when we board the Lady Naomi, the ship that will take us back to Apia. But it is the time for speeches to express how thankful we have all been to enjoy each other’s company, for prayers of a safe journey, and jokes to relieve the seriousness.

We have accomplished most all of our goals in this short time, despite the limited amount that we were able to excavate with such a small team. David was able to teach the students of Atafu about archaeology, the basic methods and theories behind our studies. Rintaro has plenty of fishbones, the 10,000 necessary for legitimate study, to analyze throughout the year until we come back. Adam took six column samples from which to take land snails to show what the plants and environment was like in the past. Burials were found for Frederique. An intact living surface was found for Jenny. Bird bones were found for Alice, let’s hope some are chicken.

That all of this was accomplished by only four cubic meters of excavation speaks of the nature of modern archaeology. It is not how much one digs, it is how one digs. By following the notes left by Simon Best we found good locations to dig. Careful screening with three different interlocking screens gave us fine detailed precision. Plus a little bit of luck helped. The excavations were filled with beach sand so that it will be easily recognizable for when we open them back up when we return, and careful notes have been taken to prepare us for that time.

One project, however, is still unfinished. Lisa’s late arrival has given her little time to take the DNA samples of the people of Atafu for which she came. The village has decided though to accommodate her study and has decided to allow a mass sampling to be performed this evening. Normally no work is allowed on Sunday except the feeding of the pigs since it is a daily necessity. That an exception has been made to this rule shows the support of the whole island for our work. The men’s group has already had their turn, and so tonight the women’s group, the fatupaipai, gathered in the lotala in their long dresses and swabbed the inside of their cheeks for science.

With the last of our duties completed we will lay in our beds, our stuff half packed, with the uncomfortable anticipation of when we shall have to board the boat and watch the small island of Atafu fade into the horizon. Gifts will be exchanged, carved shell necklaces and hand woven hats from our hosts, burned CDs and DVDs from ourselves. But the memories of our short time together are the deeper gifts that we shall remember while we are busy in the labs at our respective institutions analyzing the data we have collected.

To all the people of Atafu, we thank you.