ANU excavation uncovers turtle rituals in Polynesia

An ANU archaeologist has discovered primary evidence of ritualistic practices involving turtles in French Polynesia described in accounts by missionaries in the 19 ^th Century. Pacific Archaeologist, Dr Guillaume Molle of the ANU School of Archaeology and Anthropology excavated three sites on the ring-shaped coral atoll of Fakahina in the Tuamotu Archipelago, uncovering two open-air ceremonial sites, one containing the remains of ritual offerings of turtles. Dr Molle said Catholic missionaries from France and Belgium observed and documented the "pagan" practice of the turtle ceremonies on Fakahina before supressing them in their efforts to convert the population to Christianity. "I was very lucky, after two days excavating I found this beautiful deposit of turtle bones about 30 centimetres beneath the surface. It was interesting because it appeared to be an offering of part of the turtle only as it was just the vertebrae. Finding out why is one of the big questions we have now. "The turtle was seen as an embodiment of the ancestors and clans and was also symbolically tied up with fertility, so when the turtles returned each year, it marked the start of the season of abundance and the people performed a lot of religious ceremonies at this time ultimately relating to their survival," said Dr Molle.