The geomorphic development of reef islands in the Pacific coral atolls may have important implications for human migration and settlement in remote Oceania. We examined the geomorphic development of an atoll reef island at the Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, Kiribati. The island is composed mainly of unconsolidated carbonate sand, and the emergence of the island occurred at ca. 4600 cal yr BP at the oceanward side, under rising sea levels that reached ~0.9 m higher than that at the present. The main body of the island formed rapidly between ca. 4600–4200 cal yr BP under higher and slightly rising sea levels. This early development could have resulted from the low-energy setting of the Tarawa Atoll, which could have allowed the accumulation of sand-sized sediments. Our study is a valuable case study of atoll reef island development in a low-energy setting, and constrains the basis for human settlement in the Gilbert Islands of Kiribati.

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This study revealed the historical interactions between various regions of Japan and Palau by comparing banana cultivars using DNA analysis. Since domesticated banana cultivars have vegetative reproduction characteristics, identifying these cultivars and constructing a phylogenetic tree would provide an understanding of human interactions. Consequently, morphological classification and interviews on local names, origins, and usage patterns were conducted by referring to historical documents to interpret the phylogenetic tree. From the 19th century onward, the results showed a close interaction among Ogasawara Islands, Hachijo, Ryukyu Islands, and Palau, which are historically included in/excluded from “Japan” and geographically considered as a part of Oceania. Therefore, the analysis of banana cultivars is an effective method for clarifying the regional history and exploring the origins of agriculture in Oceania and Asia.

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Museums and research institutions preserve natural history-related materials that are now rarely used because of the changing academic paradigms and research interests. Among several examples, this study focuses on the watercolor paintings of natural history made during the Crocker expeditions in the 1930s. The expeditions traveled far into the Pacific, recording the natural environment and indigenous cultures of the time in the form of specimens and visual materials. The collection is characterized by a large number of photographs and watercolors of fish created by the Japanese artist, Toshio Asaeda. A collaboration with academic institutions led to the global proliferation of the collection, preventing its comprehensive use. In this study, we analyzed these materials, scattered across museums worldwide, in a cross-sectional manner. Additionally, we identified the time and place of collections and the specific expedition they were a part of, which could only be achieved through a combined survey of materials from multiple museums. The results could pave the way for future utilization of natural history materials, including the Crocker collections housed in several museums.

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Indonesia has a pluralistic health system. Among traditional medicines available in Indonesia, jamu is a popular Javanese herbal medicine. Jamu beverages sold by local peddlers called “jamu gendong” are commonly used by local people in their daily lives. This study aims to explore the relationship between local Javanese people and jamu gendong in a village in Central Java, focusing on how customers use locally made jamu in their daily lives, based on participatory observation and interviews. Women constituted the majority of customers of female jamu gendong and used to select different types of jamu beverages according to their life stages. Women-specific problems are rarely discussed openly in the traditional Javanese society; choosing jamu beverages based on interactions with peddlers reduces insecurity and anxiety among female customers. The jamu gendong involved in the study gained knowledge and skills from her mother, through her own experiences, and public training programs. As customers’ family members and neighbors have been consuming jamu and interacting with the jamu gendong for many years, customers have independent opinions and tend to make their own choices. Jamu gendong and jamu beverages are a part of the Javanese society and have been closely related to customers since birth.

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