Avanata: a possible Late Lapita site on Fergusson Island, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. In From Field to Museum—Studies from Melanesia in Honour of Robin Torrence, ed. Jim Specht, Val Attenbrow, and Jim Allen

Ford, Anne; Kewibu, Vincent; Miamba, Kenneth

doi:10.3853/j.1835-4211.34.2021.1743

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Although there are similarities in vessel forms and the application of red slip, these assemblages bear no apparent resemblance to contemporary south coast EPP (Negishi and Ono 2009;Shaw, Coxe, Kewibu et al 2020;Shaw et al 2022). Currently, shell-impressed pottery from the excavated but undated Avanata site (BALZ) on Fergusson Island provides the only potential link between Late Lapita and initial EPP (Ford et al 2021). Irwin (1991) included the southern Massim islands within the EPP distribution and argued that the Louisiade islands were on the periphery of core maritime dispersals, presumably inferring that the earliest EPP styles were not present in the region.…”

Section: Early Papuan Pottery and Its Relevance To The Massimmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mid–late Holocene diversification of cultural identities in the Massim islands and the formative development of Kula: Excavations at the Mumwa site, Panaeati Island

Shaw,

Coxe,

Haro

et al. 2024

Forty Years in the South Seas: Archaeological Perspectives on the Human History of Papua New Guinea and the Western Pacific Reg

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Anthropological, linguistic and genetic research has suggested that the Massim islands of south-east New Guinea have a complex human history. Archaeological research has gone some way to model the long-term trajectories of island settlement in this region. However, the role of inter-island interaction and connections with mainland populations in shaping cultural diversity remains poorly understood, particularly as it relates to the formative development of the ethnographically described Kula network within which Panaeati Island (Louisiade Archipelago) was once a central node. Excavations at the Mumwa site on Panaeati Island have revealed a mid-Holocene cultural deposit (4350 cal. BP), with overlying pottery-bearing layers (750-500 cal. BP) spanning a period of profound social change across the Massim and south Papuan coast, during which time Kula is thought to have commenced in earnest. Our data suggests that more regular human habitation of the Massim islands from the end of the mid-Holocene coincided with similarly timed population expansions and changes in tool technologies in other parts of New Guinea that influenced subsequent population dispersals, and likely contributed to the diversification of regional cultural identities. Within the last millennium, inter-island connections had been established with population on Woodlark and perhaps along the south Papuan coast, facilitating the spread of shared cultural behaviours that overlaid established local practices. The gradual withdrawal of islands in the Louisiade Archipelago from regular involvement in regional maritime networks over the last 500 years contributed to deepening linguistic, genetic and cultural boundaries, and were thereafter on the periphery of the Kula network.

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Section: Early Papuan Pottery and Its Relevance To The Massimmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On Woodlark Island, shell impression is combined with incision on a northern variant of SMP dated to within the last ~600 years. On Fergusson, sherds from the Avanata site are probably associated with terminal Lapita or EPP (Ford et al 2021).…”

Section: Shell-impressed Potterymentioning

confidence: 99%

Mid–late Holocene diversification of cultural identities in the Massim islands and the formative development of Kula: Excavations at the Mumwa site, Panaeati Island

Shaw,

Coxe,

Haro

et al. 2024

Forty Years in the South Seas: Archaeological Perspectives on the Human History of Papua New Guinea and the Western Pacific Reg

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View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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New Guinea and Near Oceania

Golitko

2023

The Oxford Handbook of Island and Coastal Archaeology

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This chapter explores the archaeological landscapes of Near Oceania and New Guinea. Even if questions of linguistic diversification and spread have primarily dominated the archaeology of Near Oceania, the region has much to offer to broader studies of island and coastal archaeology. The morphology and environments of coastal Near Oceania have altered dramatically throughout human occupation. In addition to logistical challenges including working across national boundaries, changes in coastal geomorphology have either erased or deeply buried the early archaeological record of much of the region. The chapter highlights the importance of archaeology in the future and addresses the challenges of anthropogenic climate change and development affecting the ecology and heritage in New Guinea and its surrounding islands.

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Life after Lapita

Shaw,

Connaughton

2024

The Oxford Handbook of Island and Coastal Archaeology

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The spread of Lapita cultural groups through the New Guinea region 3350–3250 years ago and into the uninhabited remote Pacific islands from 3050–3000 years ago was one of the greatest migrations in human history. Over subsequent millennia, novel adaptations and intergenerational social linkages led to the emergence of a complex mosaic of culture and language reflected in modern Pacific populations. Broadly defined as “post-Lapita,” this chapter assesses the current breadth of archaeological information about human settlement and practices in the few centuries after the arrival of Lapita communities within the former ambit of their distribution. In doing so, the authors highlight the continuity, change, and innovations of cultural practices and behaviors that contributed to such remarkable diversity. An assessment of “transitional” post-Lapita sites indicates that the complex motifs on Lapita pottery reflecting social markers were retained in Near Oceania for several centuries longer than in Remote Oceania, where diverse social identities were quickly forged within and between island groups. Settlement patterns, social networks, and subsistence strategies were continually adapted to localized constraints and, together with ongoing population migrations and cross-cultural interaction, contributed to the Pacific region becoming one of the most culturally diverse regions in the world.

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Avanata: a possible Late Lapita site on Fergusson Island, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. In From Field to Museum—Studies from Melanesia in Honour of Robin Torrence, ed. Jim Specht, Val Attenbrow, and Jim Allen

Cited by 3 publications

References 13 publications

Mid–late Holocene diversification of cultural identities in the Massim islands and the formative development of Kula: Excavations at the Mumwa site, Panaeati Island

Mid–late Holocene diversification of cultural identities in the Massim islands and the formative development of Kula: Excavations at the Mumwa site, Panaeati Island

New Guinea and Near Oceania

Life after Lapita

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