Dryland Swale Farming and Long-term Land Use in Upland Kula, Maui, Hawaiʻi

Subsurface excavations, paleoenvironmental sampling, and Bayesian modeling clarify upland field development in Kula, Maui. We report 26 radiocarbon determinations from 13 agricultural and two ritual feature complexes associated with swale terraces, enclosure walls, and water channels. We model five architectural phases: Preconstruction, Primary Construction, Secondary Modification, Enclosure Works, and Post-European Reuse. Preconstruction land use begins at least in the late 13th–15th centuries a.d., followed by terrace expansion, mainly from the 14th–17th centuries a.d., and later rebuilding on aggraded swales. Enclosure Works appear chiefly in the late 17th–early 19th centuries a.d. and likely supported plot subdivision and pig management. Paleoecological and faunal records indicate persistent open shrubland, trees concentrated along field margins, more warm-season grasses, and increased fire use and crop processing without forest recovery. Terraces and channels redistributed stormwater and soil moisture in a dry upland setting without perennial streams, creating a district-scale productive system linked to ritual authority and wider dryland and wetland economies.