Les sépultures de l'atoll de Temoe (archipel des Gambier)

P. Murail (1) , E. Conte (2)

1 PACEA - De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel : Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie
2 ArScAn - Archéologies et Sciences de l'Antiquité

During archaeological research studies on the island of Temoe (Gambier archipelago) in 2002 and 2003, a thorough record of the structures, cairns and pavings, was carried out along with numerous test pits. The funeral function of the seaside cairns has been confirmed through the excavation of these particular coral structures. Here are presented the first elements of the funeral rites practised on Temoe. They appear to be quite complex, with diverse funeral behaviours, regarding as much the architecture of the cairns as the type of the burial (primary or secondary). The burial place of a premature baby and that of a perinatal child were identified. This is a particularly rare event in the Polynesian context. Radiocarbon dating shows that the settlement period occurred between the 14th and 17th centuries.

Mots clés: Polynésie française; Pratiques funéraires; étude architecturale; datation C14; Atoll; Polynésie française.

Domaines: Anthropologie biologique

P. Murail, E. Conte. Les sépultures de l'atoll de Temoe (archipel des Gambier). Dossier d'archéologie polynésienne, 2005, 4, pp.164-172. ⟨halshs-00433519⟩