Pig and dog remains excavated from Fais Island in Micronesia were examined. The temporal distribution pattern of the excavated bones indicates that pigs and dogs have been kept on the island since at least 450 AD and possibly since around 220 AD. Both adult pigs and dogs were small in size. The majority of the excavated specimens were young or even juvenile. It is not clear if these animals were kept on Fais Island regularly or introduced from time to time. The possible source areas of pigs and/or dogs are the Philippines, Indonesia and northern Melanesia. The eastern Caroline Islands are another potential source area for the dogs.

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Intentionally-damaged human skeletal remains indicating cannibalism and/or violence have been found scattered on room floors and deposited in pits in more than 40 archeological sites in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. Most of the bone assemblages were in Anasazi sites. Using five standardized taphonomic criteria (perimortem cut marks, intentional breakage, burning, anvil/hammerstone abrasions, and many missing vertebrae), 32 assemblages meet our minimal requirement for proposing cannibalism. In the 32 cannibalized series, the minimal number of individuals (MNI) ranges from 1 to 35. The average MNI is 9.2 per site. The total MNI is 295. All ages and both sexes are represented. The earliest grouping of sites with evidence of cannibalism date around A.D. 900; the latest single site, A.D. 1700. The average date for the 32 sites is ca. A.D. 1100. Two proximate explanations involve social pathology and/or Mesoamerican influence. Prehistoric Southwest cannibalism has been explained by starvation (3 sites), social pathology (several sites), and recently, as a violent form of institutionalized social control associated with the post-A.D. 900 rise of the highly complex Chacoan social and religious center in New Mexico, its regional road system, and the linked outlier multi-storied Great House communities that were built elsewhere in New Mexico and also in Colorado, Arizona, and Utah. There is no identifiable direct connection with cannibalism in Mexico. When considered with the sites evidencing extensive violence, Southwest cannibalism appears to be part of a socially-pathological and chaotic development that began in the Anasazi area, possibly triggered by Mesoamerican influences such as Mexican traders.

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An archaeological reconnaissance was conducted on Tobi Island, a raised coral island southwest of the main Palau archipelago in Micronesia, in 2003. Linguistic studies show that the aboriginal language of Tobi belongs to the Micronesian subgroup, suggesting past cultural affinities. Historical background information for the island is reviewed and results of the reconnaissance, including test excavations, are presented. Most artifacts were made of shell, comprising such types as adzes, scrapers, a bead, fishhooks, lures, and ring ornaments. Additionally, coral files and fishhooks made of turtle carapace were documented. Food remains in the test excavations included chicken and other birds, rat, marine turtle, fish, and shellfish. Two radiocarbon dates place occupation of the island at least by the A.D. 1400s to 1500s. Contrary to the usual pattern found in Micronesia, no archaeological remains suggest external contact with the main Palau archipelago or other high islands during prehistoric times. The relatively extensive taro wetlands in Tobi’s interior plus its abundant marine resources may account for this difference.

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