Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

New archeological sites found after American Samoa tsunami

Posted at 04:35 on 18 November, 2009 UTC

A study in American Samoa assessing the damage to archaeological sites on the main island of Tutuila following the September tsunami has led to new sites being unearthed.

The project is led by Dr David Addison, a research archaeologist at the Samoan Studies Institute at the American Samoa Community College.

Dr Addison says a total of 40 sites were damaged in the recent tsunami.

He also says the new sites exposed by the tsunami are also a significant discovery.

“There is more of an understanding of the past of the Island and where communities become more aware of the archaeological sites that are just off their doorsteps and come to realise the rich record that their ancestors left for them to learn from and to appreciate.”

Dr Addison says it’s unfortunate the new sites had to be discovered following the disasters.

The project is funded by the National Science Foundation’s Rapid Response Research grant programme.