Chapter I Intro & Objectives - SPREP

PHOENIX ISLANDS PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT PLAN
Chapter III. Background, 2. Human Activities
Draft 1 March 2007
Throssell and Specht (1989) speculated that the two boulder trails may be the remains of a
fish trap. But they noted that now there were no fish in McKean’s lagoon as it was no longer
open to the sea.
No metal or foreign objects were found at these sites which would have indicated that they
were used by the guano collectors (Throssell and Specht 1989). However, Throssell and
Specht (1989) noted that some of these structures may have been constructed or used by
guano collectors in the late 1800s.
Since these structures required a substantial amount of labor, Throssell and Specht (1989)
postulate that these were not constructed by short or infrequent visitors to McKean. The
resources of McKean could not support human settlement.
NIKUMARORO (GARDNER)
In 1924, the Whitney South Sea Expedition found ancient stone structures on Orona (Hull),
Abariringa (Canton) as well as Manra (Sydney), but none on other Phoenix Islands
(MacGregor n.d.).
Bryan (1934) did not visit Nikumaroro (Gardner), but provided a summary of Wilkes’ visit in
1840. Wilkes did not mention finding any evidence of human occupation.
Maude (1952 and 1968) noted that Nikumaroro (Gardner) had been occupied for only a short
period in its history.
Luke (1962) reported that Manra (Sydney), Orona (Hull), and Nikumaroro (Garnder) had
archaeological evidence that they were occupied before the coming of Europeans (see also
Sharp 1956).
Garnett (1983a) noted that Nikumaroro (Gardner) had no ruins or artefacts from prehistoric
times. The presence of the Polynesian rat suggested that Nikumaroro (Gardner) had been
visited earlier by either Polynesian or Micronesian voyagers.
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