Archaeology in Oceania, Vol. 00 (2019): 1–7 DOI: 10.1002/arco.5183 A shell disc bead maker’s workshop from Kavewa Island, northern Fiji DAVID V. BURLEY and TRAVIS FREELAND DVB: Simon Fraser University; TF: Kleanza Consulting Ltd ABSTRACT Test excavations of an early Lapita colonising site on Kavewa Island off the north-east coast of Vanua Levu in 2012 encountered an abundant assemblage of Anadara shell disc beads and preforms, as well as lithic micro-drills for bead perforation. Concentrated in the upper strata of a 1 × 1 m unit, radiocarbon dates place this assemblage in the interval 2490–2280 calBP. Production stages (chaˆıne op´ eratoire) in bead manufacture are described as is the fabrication of micro-drills through bipolar flaking of small quartz, chalcedony and chert clasts, locally acquired from Malau breccia. A survey of the Oceanic literature relating to stone drills and shell bead production finds a comparable assemblage only at Bootless Bay, Motupore Island, Papua New Guinea. This assemblage, however, is 3500 km distant and 1750 years more recent in time. The production of beads and micro-drills represents specialised expertise. Whether this supported an external exchange system, or was exclusively related to household use, cannot be determined. Keywords: shell disc bead, lithic micro-drill, Fiji, Oceania, craft production R ´ ESUM ´ E Les fouilles en sondage men´ ees au sein d’un site de colonisation Lapita sur l’ˆıle de Kavewa, situ´ ee au large de la cˆ ote nord-est de Vanua Levu, ont r´ ev´ el´ e un assemblage abondant de perles disco¨ıdes confectionn´ ees ` a partir du bivalve Anadara, ainsi que des pr´ eformes, et des micro-perc¸oirs utilis´ es pour la perforation de ces perles. L’assemblage est concentr´ e dans la couche sup´ erieure d’un sondage d’un m` etre carr´ e, qui a ´ et´ e dat´ ee par le radiocarbone entre 2490 et 2280 calBP. Les ´ etapes de production (chaˆıne op´ eratoire) des perles disco¨ıdes sont d´ ecrites, de mˆ eme que celles des micro-perc¸oirs confectionn´ es par r´ eduction bipolaire de petits nodules de quartz, de calc´ edoine, et de chert obtenus localement depuis la br` eche de Malau. Une revue de la litt´ erature associ´ ee aux micro-perc¸oirs et ` a la production de perles en coquillage ne trouve qu’un autre assemblage comparable sur l’ˆıle de Motupore, Bootless Bay, en Papouasie/Nouvelle-Guin´ ee. Cependant, les deux assemblages sont s´ epar´ es par 3500 km et environ 1750 ans. La production de perles et de micro-perc¸oirs repr´ esente une expertise sp´ ecialis´ ee. En revanche, il est impossible de d´ eterminer si cette production faisait part d’un syst` eme d’´ echange externe ou si elle ´ etait li´ ee ` a un usage exclusivement domestique. Mots-cl´ es: perles disco¨ıdes en coquillage, micro-perc¸oirs, Fiji, Oc´ eanie, production artisanale Correspondence: David V. Burley, Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6. Email: burley@sfu.ca Accepted April 22, 2019 INTRODUCTION Archaeological fieldwork can lead to serendipitous discovery, providing insight into a totally unanticipated event or practice. Such was the case in July 2012 on the small island of Kavewa, off the north-east coast of Vanua Levu, Fiji. Previous survey of this island had found potential evidence for a Lapita site with distinctive dentate stamp ceramics indicative of the earliest colonisation phase in Fiji. We returned to Kavewa to assess the site more fully to gain an understanding of stratigraphic integrity and associated content (Burley et al. in press). As the project was initiated, we began immediately to recover an abundance of roughed-out shell disc bead preforms as well as a smaller assemblage of finished beads. Also present were numerous stone micro-drills, with considerable lithic debitage resulting from their manufacture. These materials were dominantly concentrated in the upper strata of a 1 × 1 m excavation unit overlying the Lapita occupation. The shell bead and lithic assemblage clearly represents a craft production activity that is well described in ethnographic accounts (Armstrong 1928; Malinowski 1961; Woodford 1908) and archaeological contexts of New Guinea (Allen et al. 1997). Its presence in Fiji on the eastern periphery of C  2019 Oceania Publications