Gender, social hierarchy, and the kapu system in pre-European contact Hawaiian house sites

This project examines the material remains reflective of the relationship between the Hawaiian system of taboo (kapu) and the power structure within pre-contact house sites. The research compares archaeological data from excavated house sites on the island of Maui with ethnographic accounts from Hawai’i. The research relies on the theory that midden left behind by men and women differs; this paper compares the discarded material with ethnographic accounts of early Hawaiian practices. Critical analysis of these ethnographic accounts and archaeological data results in further understanding of gender roles. Results from the analysis of the archaeological record support ethnographic research, which observed the separation of the sexes in domestic settings. This assessment also sheds light on the role of men and women within households and how this role differs between higher and lower status families. Women were of a status equal to that of men, and though they were prohibited from being ali’i nui, held great social influence. Lower class women were also socially equal through domestic responsibilities, but the families lacked resources and therefore women’s houses were not built in lower status households.