Maunakea Speaker Series to Explore Hawaiian Stone Tools on Aug. 24

Upright stones above the Maunakea adze quarry. Photo courtesy of OMKM.

University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Anthropology Professor Peter Mills will share his long-term geoarchaeology research at the next Maunakea Speaker Series presentation, entitled ““Tracing the Movement of Ancient Hawaiian Adzes Through the Islands.” Open to the public, the free lecture will be held in room 108 at the UH Hilo Science & Technology Building on Thursday, Aug. 24, at 7 p.m.

Mills is an archaeologist who has been making his own stone tools since the 1980s and focuses on issues of Hawaiian culture from the pre-contact and colonial eras. Together with UH Hilo Geology Professor Steven Lundblad, Mills studies the dispersal of ancient Hawaiian stone tools throughout the islands using a technique called non-destructive energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF). Their research has helped define how the Maunakea adze quarry and other stone tool quarries were utilized by ancient Hawaiians.

The lecture is being presented by the Office of Maunakea Management (OMKM), ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center and the UH Hilo Department of Physics & Astronomy. On-campus parking at UH Hilo is open and free of charge after 4 p.m.

For more information, visit malamamaunakea.org or call (808) 933-0734.