‘The Sea at your Fingertips?’ Dietary Variability and Isotopic Signatures in the Southwestern Pacific Islands

Valentin Frederique1* and Herrscher Estelle2

The first and subsequent human occupations of Southwest Pacific (2nd millennium BCE and 1st millennium CE) took place on islands of all sizes. These occupations were generally associated with major changes in dietary practices, particularly with regard to the use of marine resources. The first Lapita settlers, whether on small and larger islands, adopted a varied diet, combining terrestrial and aquatic resources, whereas, some centuries later, post-Lapita groups favoured a diet based almost exclusively on terrestrial resources. Isotopic analyses carried out in several locations across Remote Oceania (Teouma, Uripiv, Talasiu and Sigatoka) reveal contrasting trends: a rapid transition in Efate and Uripiv, a continued consumption of marine resources in Tongatapu and a stable diet in Viti Levu. These results point to local adaptations in food choices, variability linked to group mobility, and variable access to resources according to gender.