Obsidian Traffic in the Southeast Papuan Islands

White, J. Peter; Jacobsen, H. Moust; Kewibu, Vincent; Doelman, Trudy

doi:10.1080/15564890600583579

Cited by 13 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The amount of Fergusson obsidian reaching these sites reflects the distance from the source (Irwin 1991: Fig. 3; White et al 2006). In the Oposisi assemblage, two Kukuia flakes were found, more than 650 km from the source area (Vanderwal 1973:214).…”

Section: Obsidianmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lapita Writ Small? Revisiting the Austronesian Colonisation of the Papuan South Coast

Summerhayes¹,

Allen²

2007

Oceanic Explorations: Lapita and Western Pacific Settlement

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Section: Obsidianmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lapita Writ Small? Revisiting the Austronesian Colonisation of the Papuan South Coast

Summerhayes¹,

Allen²

2007

Oceanic Explorations: Lapita and Western Pacific Settlement

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“…It would be expected that early pottery bearing sites in the Massim would have yielded an abundance of larger pieces of obsidian during a period of initial exploitation of the Fergusson Island sources, as was identified on the nearby island of Mailu (Irwin 1991;Irwin and Holdaway 1996;Negishi and Ono 2009). In contrast, cultural deposits dating to within the last 1,000 years on the Trobriand Islands contained large quantities of Fergusson Island obsidian (N = 787) (Burenhult 2002;White et al 2006), indicating a closer exchange connection with suppliers of obsidian at this time than was maintained with communities in the southern Massim. Nimowa was therefore likely to have been part of a separate exchange network than the ones which articulated the northern Massim islands.…”

Section: Non-pottery Insights Into Regional Exchangementioning

confidence: 89%

“…Published archaeological work in the Massim has otherwise provided evidence for human occupation within the last 1,200-1,000 years, which has enabled a more detailed understanding of Late Holocene island exchange networks and social systems. On current evidence, by 1,000 years ago many of the northern Massim islands were connected with the mainland in an exchange network involving the distribution of pottery, Fergusson Island obsidian, and shell valuables (Ambrose et al 2012;Egloff 1979;White et al 2006). By 500 BP connections with the mainland had weakened, with social links, at least between the northern islands, strengthening.…”

Section: Exchange Network In the Massim Prehistoric Insightsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Excavation on Nimowa Island, Louisiade Archipelago, Papua New Guinea: Insights Into Cultural Practices and the Development of Exchange Networks in the Southern Massim Region

Shaw

Dickinson

2016

The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology

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Small-scale excavation was undertaken at the Malakai site on the small island of Nimowa, located in the Louisiade Archipelago, Massim region, Papua New Guinea. This is the first excavation to be reported in detail from the archipelago, with the Malakai site providing insight into cultural practices on the island and pottery exchange in the southern Massim region. A stratified deposit was revealed with dense cultural material, first inhabited from 1350 to 1290 cal. BP, with a subsequent period of settlement within the last 460-300 cal. years. Pottery, shell, and stone artifacts were recovered, as well as human skeletal remains in a primary burial context, which contributes to understanding regional patterns of prehistoric mortuary activity. It is argued that Nimowa was already part of an exchange network that encompassed many of the southern Massim islands when the Malakai site was first occupied. There is increased diversity in the number of vessel forms in later prehistory, but with remarkable continuity in the decorative motifs over time, suggesting some degree of regional social cohesion in the southern Massim. It appears that the northern Massim islands were not a major supplier of pottery to Nimowa. The implications for the prehistory of the wider region are subsequently discussed.

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“…2016; White et al . 2006). A likely exception is a stemmed obsidian tool of probable mid‐Holocene age found on Misima Island that may have been manufactured from West New Britain or Manus obsidian.…”

Section: Obsidian As An Indicator Of Inter‐island Tradementioning

confidence: 99%

Village‐specific Kula partnerships revealed by obsidian sourcing on Tubetube Island, Papua New Guinea

Shaw

Irwin

Pengilley

et al. 2021

Archaeology in Oceania

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The inter‐island Kula exchange network within the Massim region of eastern New Guinea is unique in its complexity, with the historically recorded configuration between the northern islands archaeologically visible between 1350 and 1500 AD (600–450 calBP). The southern islands were incorporated sometime later, and Tubetube Island formed a major hub in this southern extension of the Kula. To assess the timing and extent of Tubetube Islander involvement, excavated obsidian was used as a proxy to assess social connections with other island communities within the ambit of Kula. Forty‐nine pieces from two sites, Lagisuna and Tupwana, spanning the relevant period were chemically characterised using pXRF and determined to have been sourced almost exclusively from western and eastern Fergusson sources, respectively. We argue social connections between communities were village specific. Lagisuna had connections with the West Fergusson source region outside of the ethnographically known Kula network from 1500 to 1650 AD (450–300 calBP). Tupwana had maintained historically recorded kinship connections with important Kula communities on Duau and Dobu in the East Fergusson source region over several generations by at least 1800 AD (150 calBP), and probably intermittently from 1500 to 1650 AD. Our results support an increasingly nuanced model for the past development of Kula exchange.

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Obsidian Traffic in the Southeast Papuan Islands

Cited by 13 publications

References 6 publications

Lapita Writ Small? Revisiting the Austronesian Colonisation of the Papuan South Coast

Lapita Writ Small? Revisiting the Austronesian Colonisation of the Papuan South Coast

Excavation on Nimowa Island, Louisiade Archipelago, Papua New Guinea: Insights Into Cultural Practices and the Development of Exchange Networks in the Southern Massim Region

Village‐specific Kula partnerships revealed by obsidian sourcing on Tubetube Island, Papua New Guinea

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