Before, during and after Lapita: 5000 years of cultural continuity and transformation at Caution Bay, southern Papua New Guinea. Australia's closest Indigenous neighbours in southern Papua New Guinea have long been thought to have been in contact with long-distance seafarers only in the last 2000 years. This project will document recent archaeological findings that are causing a radical rethink of ancestral connections between Australia and southern Papua New Guinea.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100544
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$418,810.00
Summary
Reconnecting the Histories of Papuan, Australian and Oceanic Seascapes . This project aims to investigate connections between Papuan, Australian and Oceanic seascapes created by a westward expansion by Lapita seafarers 3000 years ago. The project raises and addresses new questions about the maintenance of regional social relationships with an innovative archaeological approach that focuses on the edges of cultural domains where people met and shared ideas. Expected outcomes include enhanced rese ....Reconnecting the Histories of Papuan, Australian and Oceanic Seascapes . This project aims to investigate connections between Papuan, Australian and Oceanic seascapes created by a westward expansion by Lapita seafarers 3000 years ago. The project raises and addresses new questions about the maintenance of regional social relationships with an innovative archaeological approach that focuses on the edges of cultural domains where people met and shared ideas. Expected outcomes include enhanced research collaborations and improved regulatory capacity. Reconnecting seascapes is expected to inform and benefit academic and government responses to heritage conservation and align with Australian Government aspirations to conserve regional cultural heritage and enable economic development through strategic collaboration.Read moreRead less
Dimensions of value: Understanding the role and meaning of shell valuables in the Melanesian past and present. Shell valuables are fundamentally important in many Melanesian societies, linking people to each other, the land and their ancestors. Although shell artefacts are frequent in Melanesian archaeological sites, presently it is not possible to discriminate between types and levels of value. Through ethnoarchaeological enquiry in the Solomon Islands and intensive studies of museum ethnograph ....Dimensions of value: Understanding the role and meaning of shell valuables in the Melanesian past and present. Shell valuables are fundamentally important in many Melanesian societies, linking people to each other, the land and their ancestors. Although shell artefacts are frequent in Melanesian archaeological sites, presently it is not possible to discriminate between types and levels of value. Through ethnoarchaeological enquiry in the Solomon Islands and intensive studies of museum ethnographic collections, this project aims to develop tools to allow archaeologists to better interpret the nature of different shell artefacts and the social contexts of their production, use and discard. In doing so, it will enhance understandings of Melanesian societies and their transformations through time.Read moreRead less