Janet Davidson
Encyclopedia
Janet M. Davidson is a pioneering New Zealand
archaeologist who has carried out extensive field work in the Pacific Islands
throughout Polynesia
, Micronesia
and Melanesia
.
. Published by Otago University Press
, the book was edited by three Pacific prehistorians Atholl Anderson, Kaye C. Green and Foss Leach.
(1961–1962), Samoa
(1964, 1965–1966), Tonga
(1964) and Nukuoro
(1965) in the Federated States of Micronesia
as well as Papua New Guinea
and the Solomon Islands
.
In 1964, Davidson graduated with an M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Auckland
. In 1965, she was the E. Earle Vaile Archaeologist at the Auckland Institute and Museum. She was an honourary lecturer at University of Otago and later held the position of Senior Curator, Pacific at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
.
Davidson and Green carried out extensive archaeological field work in Samoa
in the 1960s. They co-authored Archaeology in Western Samoa and laid the foundation for archaeology in Samoa
. Part of Davidson's field work was studying settlement patterns in Samoa before 1840.
Davidson has published extensively on the prehistory of New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. She edited the New Zealand Journal of Archaeology from 1985 - 2008. She was also a major contributor to the Journal of the Polynesian Society
.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
archaeologist who has carried out extensive field work in the Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
throughout Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
, Micronesia
Micronesia
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
and Melanesia
Melanesia
Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji. The region comprises most of the islands immediately north and northeast of Australia...
.
Honoured
In 2007, a major archaeology publication, Vastly Ingenious was published in her honour. Titled, Vastly Ingenious:The Archaeology of Pacific Material Culture - in honour of Janet M.Davidson the book presented essays of new research by leading international scholars with an introduction by Davidson's distinguished colleague Roger Curtis GreenRoger Curtis Green
Roger Curtis Green was an American born, New Zealand-based archaeologist, Professor Emeritus at The University of Auckland, and member of the National Academy of Sciences and Royal Society of New Zealand...
. Published by Otago University Press
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
, the book was edited by three Pacific prehistorians Atholl Anderson, Kaye C. Green and Foss Leach.
Janet’s career combined active and often pioneering fieldwork across the Pacific with an imaginative approach to museum research and display that attracted young scholars, explains contributor Roger Green; she kept material culture in the public eye.
Career
Davidson carried out field work in the Society Islands at MooreaMoorea
Moʻorea is a high island in French Polynesia, part of the Society Islands, 17 km northwest of Tahiti. Its position is . Moʻorea means "yellow lizard" in Tahitian...
(1961–1962), Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
(1964, 1965–1966), Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
(1964) and Nukuoro
Nukuoro
Nukuoro is an atoll in the Federated States of Micronesia.It is a municipality of the state of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. Except for Kapingamarangi, it is the southermost atoll of the country. Nukuoro has a population of 372 , though several hundred Nukuorans live on Pohnpei...
(1965) in the Federated States of Micronesia
Federated States of Micronesia
The Federated States of Micronesia or FSM is an independent, sovereign island nation, made up of four states from west to east: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. It comprises approximately 607 islands with c...
as well as Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
and the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
.
In 1964, Davidson graduated with an M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Auckland
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
. In 1965, she was the E. Earle Vaile Archaeologist at the Auckland Institute and Museum. She was an honourary lecturer at University of Otago and later held the position of Senior Curator, Pacific at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand, located in Wellington. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place; "Te Papa Tongarewa" is broadly translatable as "the place of treasures of this land".The museum's principles...
.
Davidson and Green carried out extensive archaeological field work in Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
in the 1960s. They co-authored Archaeology in Western Samoa and laid the foundation for archaeology in Samoa
Archaeology in Samoa
Archaeology of Samoa began with the first systematic survey of archaeological remains on Savai'i island by Jack Golson in 1957. Since then, surveys and studies in the rest of Samoa have uncovered major findings of settlements, stone and earth mounds including star mounds, Lapita pottery remains and...
. Part of Davidson's field work was studying settlement patterns in Samoa before 1840.
Davidson has published extensively on the prehistory of New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. She edited the New Zealand Journal of Archaeology from 1985 - 2008. She was also a major contributor to the Journal of the Polynesian Society
Polynesian Society
The Polynesian Society is a non-profit organization based at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, dedicated to the scholarly study of the history, ethnography, and mythology of Oceania....
.