Guam National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan

ing island of Rota and the natural fortification created by the 500-foot cliffline. All of these
natural features combine to make Tarague one of the most optimal areas for human habitation
on Guam” (Kurashina and Clayshulte 1983:3).
Sites associated with this early period possess virtually the only surviving information with which to piece
together man’s initial settlement in the Marianas as well as in other parts of Micronesia and Polynesia.
They also possess important information that will allow for the establishment of a cultural baseline against
which to measure subsequent cultural change in the Marianas over a 3,000-year period. These questions
can only be addressed through the systematic documentation and study of these sites. Enhancing their
significance is the fact that there appear to be only a very small number of surviving sites associated with
this context, making those that are extant especially valuable (Russel and Fleming 1989:34-35).
The resources and features that made Tarague a valuable location for initial settlement are to a lesser
degree present at Ritidian, suggesting that it may contain evidence of early habitation. The disadvantages of
Ritidian include the strong northeast trade winds which blow for most of the year, heavy surf, and severe
currents at this meeting point of the Pacific Ocean and Philippine Sea.
Early Occupation Period 500 B.C. to A.D. 800
The people of the Marianas used pottery throughout the entire prehistoric period. Pottery and the technology
of how to make it was brought to the Mariana Islands with the first settlers, and perhaps with subsequent
emigrations. The pottery found on Guam is unique to the Mariana Islands and is an important direct
connection to earlier generations.
Fragments of pottery vessels are found in nearly every archaeological site on Guam and are therefore, key
to defining the cultural sequence. Pottery can be used to date sites and understand the changes that have
occurred over the past several thousand years. Different vessel shapes, decoration, thickness, and tempering
additives provide clues to the variety of food resources used and the social dynamics.
Ceramic vessels could have been used for cooking, transporting, storing, serving, and ceremonial purposes.
For instance, preparing the swamp taro (Cyrtosperma chamissonis) for consumption involves peeling the
tubers, cutting them in pieces and cooking them in coconut milk over a slow fire for at least three hours
(Moore 1983:169). A ceramic vessel with an inverted or constricted rim would keep moisture from evaporating
too rapidly during this long cooking session. Whereas, the thick walled (robust) type of vessel with open
rim may have been used to boil saltwater to obtain salt. Ceramic vessels may have been required to soak the
nuts of the fadang (Cycas circinalis) which were leached to remove the toxins prior to consumption. And,
very large containers may have been used to make coconut syrup and oil or served as water catchment and
storage devices.
Around 500 B.C., perhaps as a result of contact with other regions, the arrival of new groups of people, or
changes in food resources the ceramic vessels changed. Large, thick-walled (robust) vessels and decoration
with Lime Impressed patterns are found at several sites on Guam and other islands of the Marianas,
suggesting that inter-island voyages were occurring during this time. Shell peelers are often found with the
robust and Lime Impressed wares, indicating that tubers were part of the diet. Processing tubers is the
first sign of agriculture. Additionally, shellfish, reef fish, and perhaps fruit bat were exploited (Moore
1983:219).
Another interesting point is that the pottery vessels, especially large ones, would be difficult to transport
empty and very difficult if they were full. This suggests that activities took place within villages by 500 B.C.
with work parties bringing collected foods or resources back to the settlement. The large size of the containers
also may indicate that large quantities of foods were being processed and stored (Moore 1983:170).
Sometime after 150 B.C., pottery with lime inlaid designs disappeared. Moore speculates that because of an
increasing population density the Chomorro did not travel as much and distinctive pottery designs became
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Guam NWR - Cultural Resources Overview and Management Plan - 2006