Changes in West New Britain Trading Systems in the Twentieth Century

Chowning, Ann

doi:10.1111/j.1835-9310.1978.tb00660.x

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The results from the characterisation study support the existence of social ties between communities as described in ethnographic accounts of exchange networks reported by Chowning () and Specht () and summarised in Figure . To begin with, exchange between the Bakovi and the Lakalai (Hoskins area) and other groups further to the east involved obsidian and pigments moving east in return for other products.…”

Section: Exchange Linkssupporting

confidence: 80%

“…One of the problems in making predictions about the past role of ground stone axe blades is that, because stone technology declined rapidly after the introduction of metal at European contact, there are no historic or ethnographic accounts of how they were made, used or exchanged. Chowning (: 300) also noted that her informants did not know the sources of the stone axe blades they often found in their gardens. Consequently, questions about the nature and extent of stone axe exchange must be addressed through archaeological research.…”

Section: Modelling Interaction Spheresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specht () and Chowning () brought together the published ethnographic records on exchange in central New Britain. Although axes are not included in these accounts, they still provide useful models of interaction spheres that can be used for comparison with archaeological data on prehistoric ground stone axe blades.…”

Section: Modelling Interaction Spheresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Summary model of the exchange networks in New Britain described in ethnographic accounts (Chowning ; Specht , , , ).…”

Section: Modelling Interaction Spheresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…He suggested that because the Bakovi people controlled access to the sources of obsidian and pigments in the Willaumez Peninsula, they could attract exchange partners over a large area. In contrast, Chowning (: 298) proposed that the Willaumez Peninsula was a barrier to trade moving along the coast. The axes bring a new perspective to the role of the Willaumez Peninsula as a central place in exchange because, unlike obsidian and pigments, evidence for quarries or axe manufacture such as grinding grooves have not been recorded for that region, despite intense fieldwork.…”

Section: Modelling Interaction Spheresmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Detecting exchange networks in New Britain, Papua New Guinea: geochemical comparisons between axe‐adze blades and in situ volcanic rock sources

Pengilley

Brand

Flexner

et al. 2019

Archaeology in Oceania

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Compared to elsewhere in Oceania, the history and character of stone axe-adze production and exchange in the Bismarck Archipelago is very poorly known. To explore the feasibility of using geochemical analysis to trace past social interaction, we conducted a non-destructive portable XRF study of 97 ground stone artefacts from archaeological contexts in New Britain and the ethnographic collection at the Australian Museum. The study capitalised on the well-documented spatial distribution of geochemical variation resulting from the plate-tectonic history of the region. The results indicate that prehistoric communities in New Britain specialised in goods such as ground stone tools or obsidian in order to facilitate social interaction over a large region. RÉSUMÉEn comparaison avec ce qui se passe ailleurs en Océanie, l'histoire et le caractère de la production et deséchanges de haches en pierre et d'herminettes dans l'archipel de Bismarck sont très mal connus. Pour explorer la possibilité d'utiliser l'analyse géochimique pour retracer les interactions sociales passées, nous avons mené uneétude XRF portable non-destructive de 97 objets façonnés en pierre de contextes archéologiques en Nouvelle-Bretagne et la collection géographique du Australian Museum. L'étude s'est appuyée sur la distribution géographique bien documentée de la variation géochimique résultant de l'histoire de la plaque-tectonique de la région. Les résultats indiquent que les communautés préhistoriques de la Nouvelle-Bretagne Occidentale se sont spécialisées dans des produits tels que des outils en pierre polie ou de l'obsidienne afin de faciliter les interactions sociales sur une vaste région.

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Section: Exchange Linkssupporting

confidence: 80%

Section: Modelling Interaction Spheresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Modelling Interaction Spheresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Summary model of the exchange networks in New Britain described in ethnographic accounts (Chowning ; Specht , , , ).…”

Section: Modelling Interaction Spheresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Modelling Interaction Spheresmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Detecting exchange networks in New Britain, Papua New Guinea: geochemical comparisons between axe‐adze blades and in situ volcanic rock sources

Pengilley

Brand

Flexner

et al. 2019

Archaeology in Oceania

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Petroglyphs and place: complex histories at four sites in New Britain

Specht

Torrence

Mulvaney

2021

Archaeology in Oceania

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The analysis of cultural practices at four sites near Cape Gloucester and on Uneapa and Garua Islands in West New Britain, Papua New Guinea shows how rock markings and boulder arrangements create special places within physical and social landscapes. Four kinds of rock markings are documented: cupules, abraded surfaces, geometric curvilinear and rectilinear (i.e., composed of straight lines) petroglyphs, and figurative forms including anthropomorphic heads and introduced animals. The placement of the art, together with the arrangement of boulders, implies that both restricted and open forms of ceremony were conducted. The similarities between these sites suggest the existence of a precursor to the well‐documented recent interaction zone in this part of West New Britain. We speculate that these cultural practices have a much longer history than previously proposed for Island Melanesia.

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Chiefs without chiefdoms? Comments on prehistoric sociopolitical organization in western Melanesia

Lilley

1985

Archaeology in Oceania

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Changes in West New Britain Trading Systems in the Twentieth Century

Cited by 9 publications

References 3 publications

Detecting exchange networks in New Britain, Papua New Guinea: geochemical comparisons between axe‐adze blades and in situ volcanic rock sources

Detecting exchange networks in New Britain, Papua New Guinea: geochemical comparisons between axe‐adze blades and in situ volcanic rock sources

Petroglyphs and place: complex histories at four sites in New Britain

Chiefs without chiefdoms? Comments on prehistoric sociopolitical organization in western Melanesia

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