Format: Paper presentations with discussion
Organisers:
Jason Kariwiga, The University of Queensland & University of Papua New Guinea, j.kariwiga@uq.edu.au; jkariwiga@upng.ac.pg
Rachel Wesley, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka/University of Otago, smira014@student.otago.ac.nz
Edson Willie, Vanuatu Cultural Centre, willie.edson01@gmail.com
Loretta Hasu, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka/University of Otago & Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery, lorettahasu@gmail.com
Charles J. T. Radclyffe, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka/University of Otago, charles.radclyffe@otago.ac.nz
The Pacific Ocean covers nearly a third of our planet’s surface and is a region of global archaeological importance. This is reflected in a wide array of significant human achievements, from the first arrivals of modern humans into Sahul, the independent invention of agriculture in the New Guinea Highlands, to the late Holocene expansion by Lapita peoples into the eastern Pacific and the development of expansive trade and exchange systems and maritime technology. This diversity in origins and lifeways is reflected today in the varied groups of people who have called this region home for millennia. These isolated yet connected communities showcase the Pacific as a crucial convergence of human and human-environment interaction and adaptation, over a time span reaching back thousands of years.
We invite papers that delve into the various aspects of archaeological and interdisciplinary research focused in and around the entirety of the Pacific. The potential topics are as diverse as the region and can include (though be not limited to) the colonisation of Wallacea and Sahul and subsequent migrations into Near and Remote Oceania by modern humans, systems of food production and procurement, human-megafauna interaction, island, coastal and highland environment adaptation, regional and local trade and exchange systems, and Indigenous and European settler interactions.
We especially invite papers focusing on community-centred and/or Indigenous research methodologies, and findings that emphasize regional insights and contributions to archaeology.
The aims of this session are twofold. Firstly, we want to highlight the value of Pacific Island archaeology, cultures and perspectives, areas that are often underrepresented in Western-learning archaeology discourse. Secondly, by incorporating the Western-leaning discipline of archaeology with Indigenous Pacific knowledge systems, we can help redefine approaches to understanding sustainable environmental management practices and building meaningful and long-lasting collaboration with Indigenous communities.
Papers:
More than Barramundi: Fish Fauna at Ngarradj, the Local Environment and How People Used It
Harry Allen, Research Fellow, School of Social Sciences, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Through the Holocene, Western Arnhem Land experienced a series of dramatic environmental changes which accompanied the post-glacial rise in sea levels and the reinitiation of the NW monsoon. These changes affected the major rivers in the region, the South and East Alligator Rivers and Magela Creek, flowing through a landscape that transitioned over time from open woodlands to widespread mangroves, to restricted mangrove flats, and finally, to freshwater wetlands. These changes are reflected in shell midden and open sites adjacent to these floodplains. Ngarradj Warde Djobkeng is close to Magela Creek and is located at the northwestern end of the Djawambu outlier. Its middens, dated between 3300 and 4000 cal BP, relate to the final stage of the mangrove phase in North Australia. Shellfish, land fauna and fish remains are present. This paper discusses the fish fauna from Ngarradj Warde Djobkeng, drawing out the evidence for a complex mosaic of local aquatic environments and how Aboriginal people utilised them.
Preliminary Zooarchaeological Analysis of Faunivorous Marsupials from Watinglo, North Coast Papua New Guinea
Phoebe Barnes, Archaeology and Natural History, School of Culture, History and Language, School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
Shimona Kealy, Archaeology and Natural History, School of Culture, History and Language, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
Sue O’Connor, Archaeology and Natural History, School of Culture, History and Language, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
Faunivorous marsupials (Peramelidae and Dasyuridae) remain largely overlooked in zooarchaeological discussions of human subsistence practices, primarily due to a variety of taxonomic and taphonomic challenges. These issues are further complicated when examining the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene periods in New Guinea, a key phase of ecological and environmental transformation in northern Sahul. Watinglo is an archaeological site on the north coast of Papua New Guinea which preserves an extensive and diverse faunal assemblage, including a substantial number of faunivorous marsupials. Here we explore subsistence strategies incorporating these species in their broader regional context, with both ethnographic and archaeological comparisons. The preliminary results from this project provide a unique opportunity to understand the diversity of animals present in the region and how people interacted with them over the past ~46 thousand years. These findings also contribute to a deeper understanding of human-environment relationships, and the role of faunivorous marsupials in human subsistence strategies and responses to a shifting environment.
The Making of Jade as a Social and Spiritual Object in the Pacific: Insights from the Chaîne Opératoire of Pounamu, Aotearoa New Zealand
Anne-Claire Mauger, University of Otago/Te Whare Wānanga o Otāgo, Aotearoa/New Zealand
In the Pacific, jade is a rare material crafted by Indigenous communities in New Guinea, New Caledonia, and Aotearoa into a range of taonga (treasure) and artefacts. In Aotearoa in particular, jade (pounamu) is associated with mana and spirituality. However, there is a lack of studies on the manufacture of Pacific jade, particularly as many artefacts are fossicked and curated in public and private collections, with little associated contextual information.
Chaîne opératoire is accepted as a valuable method to apprehend the manufacturing context of artefacts. Beyond the technical processes, it provides insights into the social aspects of production. This approach was applied to the manufacture of jade in Aotearoa, where pounamu remains a highly significant material for culture and spirituality. Since the first Polynesian settlement, carving pounamu has been an enduring tradition, although the origins and changes through time are not well understood. Research informed by traditional carvers and experimental archaeology helps to reconstruct the chaînes opératoires of pounamu, identify the richness of the carvers’ work through time, and suggest how spirituality is embedded in the manufacturing process. This has implications for understanding the social and cultural roles of jade artefacts in New Caledonia and New Guinea.
Adaptation to Pristine Environments in Remote Oceania: Preliminary Results from Archaeobotanical Analysis of a Charred Plant Macrofossil Assemblage at Melabong, East Efate, Vanuatu
Natasha Lyall, School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
S. Anna Florin, School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
Stuart Bedford, Archaeology and Natural History, School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; Dept of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany
Understanding how colonising Lapita peoples and their immediate descendants adapted to pristine environments and established sustainable long-term settlements on the islands of remote Oceania is a key question in Pacific archaeology. The most accepted theory is that Lapita communities brought a ‘transported landscape’, comprising a suite of domestic plants and animals to Remote Oceania to supplement the local flora and fauna (Lebot and Sam 2019). However, the various transformations of subsistence that occurred to provide a viable base for an increasing population is relatively poorly understood. Lapita communities in Remote Oceania were welcomed by an abundance of pristine resources that were quickly depleted, likely necessitating a shift to a more horticulturally based subsistence system. To investigate this shift, recent archaeological excavations were undertaken on Efate, Vanuatu at Melabong, a 4m high midden mound site, dating to the immediately post-Lapita Erueti Phase (2800-2600BP). Bulk-sediment flotation of a section of the mound has returned a rich charred plant macrofossil assemblage. This paper will present the preliminary archaeobotanical results from this research, including evidence for the use of fruits, nuts and underground storage organs by peoples at Melabong, providing new evidence for ‘transported’ crops and managed landscapes during early settlement in Vanuatu.
“Where Do We Fit in the Great Austronesian Migration Story?” Using Archaeology and “Tok Stori” Yumi Skelim Toktok Bilong ol Manmeri Long Ples na Wanem as-Tingting ol i Gat
Loretta Hasu, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka/University of Otago; Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery
The northeast region of mainland Papua New Guinea, stretching from Vanimo in West Sepik to the Rai coast in Madang, has been the scene where many researchers, particularly archaeologists, have questioned the role it plays in the great Pacific migration story. The general consensus exists that Austronesians associated with the Lapita Cultural Complex bypassed mainland New Guinea for the Bismarck Archipelago. This has largely been based on Lapita-centred archaeological research, with a notable lack of archaeological sites found on the mainland of northeast New Guinea. Building on recent modelling that attributes the lack of known sites to geomorphological processes (Summerhayes 2019), this doctoral study investigates the presence and influence of Austronesian speaking populations and existence of pottery making traditions as markers of cultural continuity. Preliminary findings from two field seasons carried out in Bogia, involving archaeological excavations and tok stori (reciprocal dialogue, storytelling) with village elders, will be shared to deepen our understanding about the impacts of Austronesians in the region.
Pacific Concepts and Pacific Communities in Archaeological Research: Reciprocity and Relationality in Solomon Islands and Aotearoa New Zealand
Tim Thomas, Archaeology Programme, University of Otago, New Zealand
Gerard O’Regan, Tūhura Otago Museum, New Zealand
Anne Ford, Archaeology Programme, University of Otago, New Zealand
Academic researchers have found Pacific communities to be a useful source of theoretical concepts. Often these are generalised and deployed to stand in contrast to, or challenge, prevailing (usually European-derived) assumptions and standards of practice. Recent archaeological interest in relational ontologies and principles of reciprocity, for example, relies heavily on a long history of ethnographic engagement with Pacific communities. Ironically, the process of theory generalisation may itself be extractive, non-reciprocal and non-relational, and ‘forget’ the local engagements necessary to production. In this paper we explore ways that local concepts can be embedded in archaeological practice and its products. This requires envisioning Pacific archaeology as an open-ended participatory project, a community of practice. We discuss case studies from research with communities in the Solomon Islands, and southern Aotearoa New Zealand. In doing so we acknowledge the mixed motivations, power relations, and challenges of all productive endeavour.
Inland Archaeology in New Caledonia. Traditional Settlement Patterns and Kanak Oral Traditions Around Tendo Tribe, Hienghène (Northern Province)
Christophe Sand, Senior Archaeologist, New Caledonia Government; Senior Research Associate, French Research Institute for Development (IRD-Noumea, GDR SENS)
John Ouetcho, Direction of Cultural Affairs, New Caledonia Government
David Baret, Direction of Cultural Affairs, New Caledonia Government
Jacques Bolé, retired archaeologist
Béalo Gony, Direction of Cultural Affairs, New Caledonia Government
Melanesia is characterised by a significant number of large Islands and has seen over the millennia the development of specific traditional Mountain Cultures, as is the case for the Grande Terre (Main Island) of New Caledonia. Unfortunately, mountainous regions are less studied by archaeologists than coastal and flatland areas. To contribute to the topic, this paper will present a case study focussing on the Inland region of the Hienghène valley, on the northeast coast of Grande Terre, where archaeological surveys have recorded and mapped a number of former Kanak hamlets and extensive agricultural terrace systems, especially around the modern tribe of Tendo. The archaeological study of the pre-colonial settlement pattern has been enriched by the recording of Kanak oral traditions about former clan divisions and different practices of the area. The combination of these two sources of information allows to reach a better understanding of former Kanak landscape organisations in the mountainous settings of Grande Terre, highlighting an intensified use of these Inland regions during pre-colonial times.
Hapū-led Archaeology: A Kāi Tahu Framework for Understanding Environmental Adaptation at Makahoe, Otago Peninsula, New Zealand
Rachel Wesley, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
Conventional archaeological approaches often position Indigenous knowledge as supplementary to Western frameworks, often missing the complexity of human-environment relationships. This paper proposes a framework emerging from Kāi Tahu research at Makahoe that inverts this relationship – positioning archaeological tools as serving cultural understanding rather than the reverse. Through an embodied perspective that naturally navigates between hapū worldviews and archaeological practice, this approach aims to create interpretations that may reveal patterns of environmental adaptation overlooked by conventional frameworks. Makahoe, with evidence of activity spanning from early Polynesian settlement through colonial encounter, offers opportunity to test how this approach might enhance understanding of how tūpuna responded to environmental change. Experiences from the author’s career and life within hapū systems suggest how centring hapū perspectives could create archaeology that is naturally intelligible to communities while maintaining archaeological rigour. The proposed framework seeks to transform archaeological practice from extraction to empowerment through collaboration and capacity building with hapū members, embodying tino rakatirataka in practice. By acknowledging the whakapapa of ideas from which this approach emerges, this research contributes to developing Pacific archaeological methodologies that honour Indigenous leadership while addressing current archaeological interests.
Community Collaboration/Partnerships With the VKS: A Crucial Role in Raising Awareness and Identifying Archaeological Sites in Vanuatu
Edson Willie, Vanuatu Cultural Centre, Vanuatu
The Vanuatu Cultural Centre, Vanuatu’s National Heritage Institution, has received tremendous support through funding from Donor partners to ensure the preservation and protection of Vanuatu’s diverse cultural heritage. These funds from regional and international donors, along with assistance from researchers, has enabled the Centre not only to carry out research but also to provide capacity building and awareness raising on cultural heritage management throughout rural communities of Vanuatu. This has assisted greatly in ensuring that a general understanding of the importance of archaeology is instilled within communities who help to locate and identify cultural and archaeological sites.
Along with research being a collaboration between researchers, the Centre and the community, awareness activities, such as the Lapita Festival, radio programs and community outreach, have also helped to increase public knowledge in the community which has resulted in a trend that has seen community members contacting the Centre in relation to any ceramic find that is dug up from gardening or construction activities.
Legal Protection of Vanuatu’s Cultural Heritage Versus Reality on the Ground: A Case Study from Central Pentecost
Iarawai Longa, Vanuatu Cultural Centre, Vanuatu
Governments across our region of the southwest Pacific have often crafted robust legal protections for cultural heritage. However, logistical support for such legislation, in the form of staffing, general funding, raising awareness or enforcement, is most often lacking. While legislation may be understood or at least recognised in Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila by some authorities, across most of the archipelago’s 82 inhabited islands, it becomes vague and only rumoured. Protection of cultural sites then primarily falls to local communities who have traditional authority over a particular area. However, there are multitude of cultural aspects that also complicate the situation. Island communities tend to defer to the authority of government agencies or Ministers, particularly when infrastructure projects are proposed. Community leaders are often unaware of legal backing they have for protection of heritage. Private construction companies complicate the picture. Here I highlight these tensions through a case study from Central Pentecost, the construction of a road, which, while the community welcomed it, they also had major reservations, as its initial route would have destroyed one of the most sacred sites in the area.
Lipids in Lapita Pottery: Evidence from Vanuatu
Mathieu Leclerc, Australian National University, Australia
Anne-Julie Bilodeau, Université Laval, Quebec, Canada
Karine Taché, Université Laval, Quebec, Canada
Pottery was introduced in Remote Oceania around 3,000 years ago by communities known as Lapita peoples who settled on large island groups from New Guinea to Tonga and Samoa. Despite being the most frequent artefact left by these past societies, little is known about how the pottery vessels were used, particularly the foods and products that were cooked and stored in them.
We are presenting here some results from the analysis of lipids preserved in archaeological pottery from the Lapita cemetery site of Teouma (2870–2920 BP), in Vanuatu, Southwest Pacific. Lapita pottery is often viewed as carrying ideological meaning, particularly through its distinctive dentate-stamped decorations. By analysing the residues in highly decorated pots associated with burials and comparing them to those in undecorated pots, we provide direct evidence for this hypothesis. To refine our interpretation, we compare these results with experimental cooking vessels.
This pilot study lays the groundwork for a new 3-year project integrating lipid analysis with traditional knowledge from Vanuatu communities, among the few in the Pacific where traditional pottery manufacture has continued into the 21st century.
Living Legacies: The Yuku and Kiowa Faunal Assemblages from Highland Papua New Guinea
Karen Greig, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka University of Otago, New Zealand
Simone Ryan, Annette Oertle, Katerina Douka, Dylan Gaffney, Kenneth Miamba and Glenn Summerhayes
Between 1959 and 1973 Susan Bulmer excavated sites in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea and made ethnographic records and collections. Working with local field assistants, excavations at sites such as Yuku and Kiowa produced lithics, pottery and animal bones. The legacy of Sue’s work for the archaeology of PNG spans the occupation of the interior during the Late Pleistocene, the establishment of agriculture and horticulture in the Holocene, and the routes of trade and exchange from the coast into the Highlands. Much of this work draws on the flaked tool technology and pottery sequences developed from material obtained during her excavations. Sue’s interpretation of the faunal remains was also influential, with the identification of pig bone in pre-Holocene layers being the subject of ongoing debate. Currently housed at the University of Otago, re-analyses of the Yuku and Kiowa faunal assemblages demonstrate the value of retaining archaeological material that can be investigated using newly developed archaeological science approaches. This paper reflects on the significance of the Yuku and Kiowa faunal assemblages, considers the potential for recent re-analyses to contribute to the themes outlined above, and discusses some of the existing and emerging challenges inherent in working with legacy collections.
The German Archaeological Institute in the Indo-Pacific: New Projects and Perspectives
Christian Reepmeyer, German Archaeological Institute, Germany
Over the past two decades, the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) has initiated significant research projects in Indo-Pacific. Initially focussing on Rapa Nui, the Solomon Islands and Palau, the DAI is now represented also in Indonesia, Tonga, Samoa and Tuvalu. This presentation provides a brief summary of the current and past projects of the DAI and their contribution to the understanding of the complex humans-environment interrelationships in Indo-Pacific. Main focus is the application of interdisciplinary approaches and research questions combined with innovative methods, such as digital documentation and 3D modelling. A second important focus is its dedication to the preservation of cultural heritage and the transfer of knowledge. As part of this initiative, the DAI works closely with local and international partners. Particular attention is paid to the upskilling of young scientists from the region in order to offer sustainable research perspectives and promote local expertise. This talk will not only present some scientific results of the projects, but also reflect on the challenges and ethical issues that arise when working in such a sensitive and culturally rich context. We hope that through this presentation, the DAI becomes more visible as a potential partner and collaborator in the global archaeological community.
Transpacific Contacts – A Re-evaluation of the Arenal 1 Site in Chile and its Role as Potential Evidence of Contacts with Polynesia
Karolyn Buhring, Dept of Anthropology, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Transpacific theories of contacts between Polynesia and the Americas have been a central area of archaeological interest. Although there is consensus that Polynesians reached the Americas, the timing and geographic location of these interactions have been difficult to determine due to the lack of clear archaeological contexts. Chile has been proposed as a potential area of contact based on DNA evidence of pre-Columbian chicken remains recovered from the Arenal 1 site with links to remains found in Polynesia, an outstanding finding that generated significant debate in the scientific community. Archaeologists have also evaluated similarities in material culture from Chile including stone artifacts, marine technology, and linguistics as well as consideration of environmental, geographical and technological feasibility of trips arriving to South America from Polynesia. Certainly, Chile’s extensive coastline and latitude would have provided a large target for intentional as well as accidental landings by Polynesians. In this study we present the results of a multidisciplinary re-evaluation of the Arenal 1 site’s evidence and the broader context which highlights a need to reconsider future transpacific research in this region.