Between chaos and control: Spatial perception of domestic, political, and ritual organization in prehistoric Samoa

Abstract

The spatial layout of a late prehistoric settlement is examined using comparative analysis, ethnohistorical documents and GIS analysis. The spatial organisation of the settlement is similar to the spatial layout of ethnographically documented Samoan villages, which has been posited to mirror social and political interaction. Spatial concepts developed from analysis of those historic villages are argued to be apparent within this prehistoric settlement, suggesting their origin within prehistory and not after European contact.