COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF CULTURAL DEPOSITS BEHIND THE CHARLES WONG HOUSE, LEVUKA, FIJI

A Chinese house was built in the 1920s on fill that enlarged the narrow strip of land on
the southeast side of the Island of Ovalau in the Fijian Archipelago, on which much of the town
of Levuka is built. Since the beach was narrow in this area, many of the first commercial
structures were built on fill. A bakery is located to the north of Charlie Wong’s house. Cultural
deposits that appear to represent a midden behind the house, excavated in 2007, were
examined to identify likely local vegetation at the time they accumulated, which is assumed to
be associated with use of the bakery during the 1920s, when it was built. This date of
occupation is substantiated by artifacts recovered at the site. Pollen, phytolith, starch,
macrofloral, protein residue, and FTIR analyses were conducted on fill from Test Units 1 (2007)
and 2 (2008), which represent the midden associated with the house. Both samples, collected
approximately 40 cm apart, represent deposits originating between 1920 and 1930. Sediment
recovered 20 cm below the ground surface behind the house next to the chimney during the
2009 excavation also was submitted for pollen, phytolith, macrofloral, and FTIR analyses.