Advancing Archaeological Classification of Fish Hooks from Hawai‘i: A Case Study from Nu‘alolo Kai, Kaua‘i Michael W. Graves and Windy K. McElroy For the past decade archaeologists at the University of Hawai‘i have been involved in a study of artifacts excavated from the site of Nu‘alolo Kai on the Nā Pali coast of Kaua‘i. This site complex was first identified by Bennett during his archaeological survey of Kaua‘i in the 1920s. The Bishop Museum organized an expedition to the site in the late 1950s, when excavations of potentially deep and well preserved archaeological deposits held out great hope for better understanding the settlement and subsequent development of Hawaiian culture. And by all measures, Nu‘alolo Kai fits this description, with cultural deposits more than 2 meters in depth, and with an incredible variety of organic and inorganic objects preserved. Excavations have focused mostly on the site known as K3, a habitation terrace, with smaller areas excavated in K2, a canoe shed, and K4 and K5, which are probably ancillary habitation features. Radiocarbon dates and introduced Euroamerican artifacts from the site suggest an occupation as early as the 12 th or 13 th centuries AD, and extending through the 19 th and probably early 20 th century. Our most immediate goal on this project is to produce an inventory and limited catalog of the more than 20,000 objects that have been recovered from the Bishop Museum excavations at the site. This includes an array of materials and pieces that are 1