social networks and the spread of lapitalisto

8/12/2019 Social Networks and the Spread of LapitaLISTO

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Social networks and the spread of Lapita

Introduction

Despite major research eforts, the spread o Lapita pottery within the Bismarck

Archipelago o Papua New uinea continues to !e de!ated "#igure $%& Locally madepottery with ornate designs appeared c& ''(( cal BP))seemingly out o nowhere&

*ith the possi!le e+ception o a plain ware assem!lage rom ussau "-irch .(($/

01%, ceramics were not pre2iously manuactured in this region and there are ew i

any local precursors or the ela!orate dentate decoration that was e2entually

shared o2er an enormous region stretching rom the Bismarck Archipelago, across

elanesia, and into western Polynesia "-irch $3345 6priggs $334, !ut see 7raig

$331%& Paci8c scholars are di2ided a!out whether the knowledge o pottery

production and9or decoration was imported to the Bismarck Archipelago with

immigrants or whether it represents a local adoption and adaptation o a new

technology deri2ed rom :aiwan or the Philippines "e&g& Allen ; *hite $3035 reen$33$5 .(((5 Diamond ; Bellwood .(('/


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suggested "e&g& -irch $3345 .(((5 6priggs $334% and also pro2ide a possi!le

mechanism or how it was spread throughout the Bismarck Archipelago&

New approaches

:he 8rst pro!lem with studying poorly pro2enanced arteacts almost entirely rom

museum and pri2ate collections is dating& :o 8nd mid)?olocene archaeological

conte+ts, sur2ey and e+ca2ation must !e e+tended out o the rockshelters and

!eyond the !eaches, where almost all research eforts had !een ocused pre2iously&

Fesearch in the inland regions o New Britain has capitalised on an e+cellent

2olcanic tephrochronology that pro2ides relati2e dating or !uried deposits across a

large region "e&g& :orrence .((.5 Pa2lides .((sing the tephrochronology

we can thereore trace the manuacture o these diagnostic arteacts as !eginning

some unknown time !eore


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e+tensi2e knowledge, specialist skills, and appropriate raw materials, which in the

case o o!sidian was relati2ely rare& #urthermore, production !y specialists ofered

opportunities or status enhancement !oth through restrictions o2er access to the

8nal products and through the creation o links !etween makers and users& Large

stemmed tools were designed to !e ragile and are unlikely to ha2e !een utilitarian

o!jects& Both arteact types were pro!a!ly used in rituals and may ha2e !een

e+changed as 2alua!les "Araho et al& .((.5 :orrence .(('5 .((a5 6pecht .((1%&

E#I>FG ' I::GDH

E#I>FG I::GDH

6tone mortars and pestles

6wadlings current data!ase o c& $((( stone mortars and c& 41( pestles, including

pu!lished and unpu!lished arteacts in pri2ate and museum collections, pro2ides

the !asis or distri!utional studies o stylistic 2ariants o stone mortars and pestles&

6tone mortars ha2e an impressi2ely large regional distri!ution stretching roughly

rom *est Papua to at least Bougain2ille, with the greatest concentrations in

mainland Papua New uinea, New Britain and New Ireland "#igure %& :hey occur in

coastal and highland settings and are ound on !oth the New uinea mainland and

surrounding islands, !ut they are restricted to lands suita!le or the widespread

growing o taro as a staple crop, !ut not those used primarily or yams, sago or

!ananas& 6wadling !as thereore suggested that they may ha2e !een used in

gardening magic and other rituals which in2ol2e the making o taro puddings

"6wadling .((5 6wadling ; ?ide .((1%& :he wide)scale manuacture o these

arteacts, made rom 2arious types o hard stone, suggests that many diferent

cultural groups shared notions a!out their unctions and meanings&

6wadling !as argued that the sharing o particular styles o mortars and pestles

among widely spaced cultural groups is the conse=uence o social interaction

"6wadling .((15 6wadling ; ?ide .((15 6wadling et al& in press%& :o illustrate how

common and widespread cultural links were during the mid)?olocene, our

interaction spheres de8ned largely !y shared decorati2e styles on mortars and

pestles are presented in #igure 1& :hese represent just a sample o the potential

a+es o social interchange that will !e re2ealed when the data!ase has !een

analysed urther&

:he most e+tensi2ely researched interaction sphere to date operated within New

uinea, !etween the shores o the 6epik)Famu inland sea "which according to

7happell ".((1% reached its greatest e+tent c&


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routes& #urther, local copies o !ird pestles are recorded rom New Britain and

possi!ly New Ireland "#igure FG 1 I::GDH

ortars with !ird wings and in some cases also with !ird heads are the most

diagnostic eature o the second Cone o interaction "#igures ' and 4%& :his region

stretches rom the western tip o New Britain, through the ?uon ul to the -ainantu

area o the Gastern ?ighlands&

:he third case pro!a!ly encompasses a num!er o interaction spheres& It is de8ned

!y mortars !earing distincti2e !osses "#igures ' and 0%& :he !oundaries ha2e hot

yet !een clearly delimited& :his interaction Cone is spread across !oth highland and

lowland eastern New uinea and e+tends as ar east as the *illaumeC Peninsula in

New Britain where there is a clear !oundary& :o the west, !ossed mortars ha2e not!een round in *est Papua& Although urther study may di2ide it into smaller

su!Cones, it seems likely that the large 2ariety o !ossed mortars in the region

represents a more difuse network o social relations than mortars and pestles with

!ird motis&

#inally, the ourth case consists o an island)centred sphere o interaction de8ned !y

ooted mortars, which appear in a wide range o orms "#igures ' and 3%& :hey ha2e

!een ound in New Ireland and New Britain and there is a clear western !order at

the *illaumeC Peninsula&

E#I>FG < I::GDH

E#I>FG 4 I::GDH

6tylistic analyses o mortars and pestles show that people copied and

recreated concepts in much the same way as locally)made Lapita pottery was later

decorated with shared designs& :he mortar and pestle style Cones are the product o

social interaction among groups who used the same design concepts, pro!a!ly as a

conse=uence o sharing and e+changing 2alua!les, ceremonies, dances, songs, etc&

:he spatial pattern o these our interaction spheres demonstrates the e+istence o

a comple+ set o cross)cutting social networks within the New uinea highlands and

which created links to the islands o the Bismarck Archipelago during the mid)

?olocene& Although the styles and the practices underlying them may ha2e !een

passed among neigh!ouring groups, signi8cant tra2el and maritime contact is

re=uired or the widespread distri!ution o !ossed and ooted mortars& #urthermore,

e2en i all the styles were not contemporary, this preliminary summary o patterns

teased out o the e+tensi2e data!ase shows that at any one time there were

pro!a!ly enough o2erlapping interaction Cones to ha2e acilitated the spread o

ideas and practices rom the highlands o New uinea to Bougain2ille, a distance o

o2er $(((km&

E#I>FG 0 I::GDH

E#I>FG 3 I::GDH


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!sidian stemmed tools

At this early stage in identiying stone pestle and mortar style Cones, the *illaumeC

Peninsula in New Britain stands out as a hu! o social interaction !ecause the

eastern end o mainland !ossed mortars o2erlaps with the western !oundary o the

island ooted mortars "#igure 1%& 6igni8cantly, this region is also the source area oro!sidian that was transported widely throughout elanesia, including during the

time o Lapita pottery "e&g& 6ummerhayes et al& $330%& ?owe2er, due to the paucity

o archaeological conte+ts, the mid)?olocene transport o o!sidian has only !een

well studied or New Britain& :he results o an e+tensi2e characterisation study in

New Britain showed that at any one locality o!sidian arteacts were deri2ed rom

se2eral sources, indicating that multiple sets o social links were orged with people

resident in a num!er o diferent places ":orrence .((!%&

:he !est e2idence or spatially e+tensi2e social networks that circulated o!sidian is

the spatial distri!ution o casual 8nds o stemmed tools held in pri2ate and museum

collections "olson $34.5 6pecht .((15 :orrence et al& in press%& Like the mortars

and pestles, the astoundingly large spread o stemmed tools "#igure $(% must !e

the product o social interaction that operated across a 2ast area, stretching rom

Biak Island in the west to Bougain2ille in the east "a distance o c& ..((km% "#igure

$% and o2erlapped with mortar and pestle interaction spheres on the mainland,

particularly in the 6epik region, and the *illaumeC Peninsula "c& #igure 1%&

E#I>FG $( I::GDH

:he distri!ution o stemmed tools difers rom that o stone mortars and pestles and

Lapita pottery !ecause they were pro!a!ly made only at the ew restricted localities

where there are o!sidian outcrops "Araho et al& .((.%, so the actual o!jects were

mo2ed rather than the knowledge o how and what to manuacture and decorate&

#or this reason stemmed tools may ha2e circulated through diferent kinds o social

networks than those represented !y shared styles among the mortars and pestles&

ne might argue that the widely distri!uted stemmed tools were simply rare

leakages rom societies li2ing close to the o!sidian sources in New Britain and

thereore not the conse=uence o signi8cant social interaction& New results rom

geochemical studies negate this hypothesis and 2eriy strong social connections&

Pre2iously, stemmed tools rom New Britain and the 6epik region were

characterised to the New Britain source areas o -utau9Bao, Baki, ulu in the

*illaumeC Peninsula and opir in the ?oskins Peninsula, all o which preser2e

a!undant e2idence or local production "Araho et al& .((.5 Fath ; :orrence .(('5

6wadling ; ?ide .((1%& 6urprisingly, a new study using !oth laser a!lation I7P6

and PIJG PIG has sourced the most distant stemmed tool, rom Biak Island

"#riede .((1/ II, 0mleang o!sidian source on Lou Island,

in anus pro2ince "#igure $$% and represents the 8rst e2idence that this source was

in use during the mid)?olocene ":orrence et al& in press%&

:he Biak Island arteact is remarka!ly similar to stemmed tools ound on arua

Island, just ofshore rom New Britain, !ut, surprisingly, it was made instead rom

o!sidian that outcrops on Lou Island "#igures $ and $$%& any o the New Britain

stemmed tools, like the Biak tool, were made with a specialised manuacturing


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se=uence in2ol2ing the creation o a kom!ewa Kake, which is deri2ed rom a !low

across the !ul!ar surace o a large Kake used as the core "Araho et al& .((.%& #rom

e+perimental replication, we know that this procedure is comple+, re=uires

considera!le knowledge and skills unlikely to ha2e !een shared widely, and

demands large co!!les o raw material, which are relati2ely scarce "-im Akerman ;

Nina -ononenko pers& comm&%& #urthermore, the Biak tool has !een hammer)dressed, a techni=ue unknown or o!sidian elsewhere in the world, e+cept or si+

o!sidian stemmed tools rom arua Island made rom the Baki and -utau9Bao New

Britain sources and one unsourced arteact rom Lihir in New Ireland "#igure $$%&

Although hammer) dressing may ha2e !een applied to impro2e the grip o the

handle or assist with hating, applying a orceul techni=ue like pecking to a ragile

tool and remo2ing o!sidians trademark, and oten meaningul, shininess suggests

attempts to enhance the 2alue o the tool through specialist la!our and9or particular

sym!olic meanings ":orrence .((15 :orrence et al& in press%&

E#I>FG $$ I::GDH

:he Biak stemmed tool might ha2e !een manuactured on Lou Island using theidentical rare and di@cult techni=ues used on arua Island& It has de8nitely not

!een reworked rom a !lade like those rom the late prehistoric periods on anus

"#redericksen .(((%& In contrast, it was made on a kom!ewa Kake struck rom a

Kake core and thereore lacks the dorsal arris o a !lade& :orrence et al& "in press%

ha2e also discussed at length why it is unlikely that the arteact was mo2ed rom

anus to Biak Island in recent years& 6temmed tools ha2e !een ound near!y on

anus Island "Araho et al& .((./ 4.% "#igure $(%, although they ha2e not !een

sourced&

A second possi!ility is that raw material was taken rom Lou to arua where

a specialist knapper con2erted it into a stemmed tool& :he ela!orate production

se=uence could certainly ha2e ormed the centrepiece o a ceremony in whichsocial relations !etween maker and consumer were orged or the status o thearteact owner was enhanced "see Fath ; :orrence .(('5 7arter .((4%& Althoughunlikely, there is a precedent/ o!sidian rom the -utau9Bao source on mainland NewBritain was transported to the Baki outcrops on ofshore arua Island where it wasmanuactured into stemmed tools "Fath ; :orrence .(('%& #urther research on LouIsland is re=uired to in2estigate whether stemmed tools were made there, !ut thiswill !e di@cult since the mid)?olocene landscape is deeply !uried under 2olcanictephra

Plausi!le e+planations or the remarka!le similarity among stemmed tools made

rom the two widely separated o!sidian sources must account or a signi8cant

sharing o concepts, 2alues, and knowledge& :he production se=uence is ar too

di@cult, comple+, and, in the case o hammer)dressing, possi!ly counter)intuiti2e,

or independent in2ention& Alternately, the high in2estment o time and efort

re=uired to copy the technology indicates that stemmed tools were at least as

highly 2alued !y the !orrowers as !y the original consumers and implies the

arteacts may ha2e circulated within a single social interaction sphere& ?owe2er the

similarity was achie2ed, it is reasona!le to assume that the distri!ution o o!sidian

stemmed tools signals social interaction !etween widely spaced Lou and arua

islands and possi!ly also across the entire distri!ution o o!sidian stemmed tools&

Interaction spheres


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*e propose that the mortar and pestles style Cones and the spatial distri!ution o

o!sidian stemmed tools are the conse=uences o e+tensi2e social networks in New

uinea and the Bismarck Archipelago during the mid)?olocene, c& 0((()''(( cal BP&

In the 8rst instance, the large)scale circulation o stemmed tools originally =uarried

rom relati2ely small geological outcrops o o!sidian in New Britain or Lou Island

suggests these o!jects were 2alua!les within a system o competiti2e e+change,

perhaps operating along similar lines to many recent elanesian societies "Araho et

al& .((.5 :orrence .((a%& :he presence o ceremonial 2alua!les ena!les us to

propose social diferentiation among indi2iduals or groups within mid)?olocene

societies along the lines that -irch "$3005 .(((/ $$.1% and others "see re2iew in

6priggs $334/ $(.% ha2e pre2iously inerred or societies contemporary with Lapita

pottery on the !asis o shell 2alua!les& 7onse=uently, we can push !ack the

!eginnings o a undamental aspect o ceanic societies !eyond the time o Lapita

pottery&

6ince the mid)?olocene social networks had !een circulating ideas and materialso2er a 2ery large area, pro!a!ly or se2eral thousand years, they were well placed

to ha2e played a critical role in the seemingly sudden appearance o Lapita pottery

throughout the Bismarck Archipelago& It is thereore rele2ant to =uestion whether

the social interchange responsi!le or the spread o Lapita pottery)making and

decoration was signi8cantly diferent rom its mid)?olocene antecedents& *e

en2isage the conte+t in which styles o mortar and pestle decorations were shared

and transerred as similar to recent social settings in which new ceremonies

including songs, dances, costumes, and other decorations "e&g& !ilas in Papua New

uinea :ok Pisin% are eagerly sought ater rom trade partners& As a result, !oth

intangi!le and material items can !e transerred across a region, such as rom the

6epik coast inland into the Prince Ale+ander ountains "ead $34(%& Lapita pottery

might well ha2e !een a ceremonial accessory that tra2elled through esta!lished

social networks and was replicated locally along with popular songs, dances, masks,

etc& in the same way that mortar and pestles styles had !een shared pre2iously&

At the time that Lapita designs appeared, the mid)?olocene networks were pro!a!ly

undergoing change 8rstly, due to the rapidly prograding shoreline and ad2ancing

6epik)Famu Koodplain "7happell .((1%, which cut of direct ties !etween the New

uinea highlands and the coast and, secondly, as a conse=uence o the *itori *)-.

2olcanic eruption in New Britain that must ha2e seriously disrupted social groups inthat region "e&g& :orrence ; Doelman .((4%& :he resulting realignment o social

networks at this time may ha2e pro2ided an opportunity or the successul

introduction o !eha2iour and ideas rom outside the local region&

7onclusions

Fesearch into the mid)?olocene antecedents o Lapita pottery in the Bismarck

Archipelago is needed to demystiy the widespread distri!ution o this distincti2e

ceramic series& Although archaeological deposits dating just prior to Lapita pottery

ha2e !een di@cult to locate, we ha2e shown that signi8cant inormation pre2iously

hidden away in museum and pri2ate collections creates a new picture a!out mid)?olocene social processes rele2ant to de!ates a!out the spread o Lapita& It also


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seems likely that the nature o the decorations on these o!jects "e&g& !ird motis%

inorms us a!out cosmology, despite -irchs ".(((/ 0'% pessimism noted pre2iously&

Although analyses o recently dated arteacts, such as stone mortars and pestles

and o!sidian stemmed tools, ha2e only just !egun to scratch the surace o what

can !e learned rom distri!utional studies, they paint a new picture o social

processes and e+change during the mid)?olocene&

:he mapping o diferent styles o stone mortars and pestles and the spatial

distri!ution o o!sidian stemmed tools re2eal multiple o2erlapping interaction

spheres as well as more difuse social networks that operated within and !etween

New uinea and the surrounding islands during the mid)?olocene& :he widespread

distri!ution o these shared arteact types and styles o decoration raise =uestions

a!out whether and in what ways the appearance o Lapita pottery signals a radical

increase in the comple+ity o social organisation& Although additional research is

re=uired to clariy the nature o the social processes responsi!le or these

interaction spheres, clearly ideas and o!jects were distri!uted across largedistances !eore Lapita pottery appeared& :he circulation o 2alua!les implies a

degree o social diferentiation that pre2iously has only !een associated with later

pottery)using communities "e&g& #riedman $30$5 ?ayden $30'5 -irch $334/ .15

6priggs $334/ $(.%, !ut which must ha2e de2eloped much earlier& In addition, the

desire or new ceremonies and associated material culture among mid)?olocene

communities could ha2e created the conte+ts in which the practice o decorating

pottery with Lapita designs was adopted as well as the initial conduits or its rapid

spread& New ideas, rituals, and technologies, whether de2eloped locally or

introduced rom outside, could ha2e tra2elled =uickly through esta!lished networks

across an enormous region stretching rom at least Biak Island all the way to

Bougain2ille&

Acknowledgements

*e thank AIN6G, Australian Fesearch 7ouncil, Australian useum, Australia and

Paci8c #oundation, Garthwatch Institution, New Britain Palin il, Ltd& or unding5

ohn #riede, National Fesearch Institute "PN%, National useum and Art allery

"PN%, >ni2ersity o Papua New uinea, *est New Britain Pro2incial 7ultural 7entre,

*alindi Plantation, and -im!e Bay 6hipping Agencies or support5 *al Am!rose and

lenn 6ummerhayes or help with o!sidian sourcing, project mem!ers, 8eldwork

2olunteers and local communities in *est New Britain&

Fecei2ed/ ' cto!er .((45 Accepted/ .4 No2em!er .((45 Fe2ised/ 0 anuary .((0

Feerences

ALLGN, & $303& Introduction, in & Allen ; 7& osden "ed&% Feport o the Lapita

?omeland Project "ccasional Papers in Prehistory .(%/ $)0& 7an!erra/ Department

o Prehistory, Fesearch 6chool o Paci8c 6tudies, Australian National >ni2ersity&

ALLGN, & ; &P& *?I:G& $303& :he Lapita homeland/ some new data and

interpretations& ournal o the Polynesian 6ociety 30/ $.3)


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ABF6G, *&, & BIFD ; P& D>GFDGN& $30$& :he impermanence o o!sidian sources

in elanesia, in G Leach ; & Da2idson "ed&% Archaeological studies o Paci8c stone

resources "British Archaeological Feports International 6eries $(%/ $)$3& +ord/

British Archaeological Feports&

social networks and the spread of lapitalisto

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