Led by archaeologist Prof. Yoshihiko Sinoto of the Bishop Museum of Hawaii, and with the cooperation of other experts from Japan and else- where, this project provides trainee archaeologists from Pacific Island countries with specialist knowledge and on-site training in techniques for identifying, surveying, recording and preserving archaeological sites. This year, training sessions were held in two sites: on Huahine Island in French Polynesia and on the Vanuatu Islands in Melanesia.
The sessions on Huahine Island focused on excavation techniques, with trainees practicing site-identification and site-mapping skills. In addition to the field training, Prof. Sinoto gave two lectures, in Polynesian, on archaeology in the Pacific and the history of French Polynesia, and produced a site inventory form, also in Polynesian. The Huahine session also covered methods of site restoration. In the Vanuatu Islands, meanwhile, where Jomon culture sites have recently been discovered and excavated, the training concentrated on techniques for recording excavated sites and artifacts.