Discovery sheds light on why the Pacific islands were colonized

Date:
April 22, 2022
Source:
Australian National University
Summary:
Evidence of the early colonization of the Pacific has been described
as like finding a needle in a haystack by researchers who have
unearthed items from more than 3000 years ago in Papua New Guinea.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
The discovery of pottery from the ancient Lapita culture by researchers
at The Australian National University (ANU) has shed new light on how
Papua New Guinea served as a launching pad for the colonisation of the
Pacific -- one of the greatest migrations in human history.


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The new study makes clear the initial expansion of the Lapita people
throughout Papua New Guinea was far greater than previously thought.

The study, published in the Nature Ecology and Evolutionjournal, is
based on the discovery of a distinctive Lapita pottery sherd, a broken
piece of pottery with sharp edges, on Brooker Island in 2017 that lead researcher Dr Ben Shaw said was "like finding a needle in a haystack."
"Lapita cultural groups were the first people to reach the remote Pacific islands such as Vanuatu around 3,000 years ago. But in Papua New Guinea
where people have lived for at least 50,000 years, the timing and extent
of Lapita dispersals are poorly understood," Dr Shaw said.

"For a long time, it was thought Lapita groups avoided most of Papua
New Guinea because people were already living there." The study shows
Lapita people introduced pottery to Papua New Guinea that had distinct markings, as well as new tool technologies and animals such as pigs.



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"We found lots of Lapita pottery, a range of stone tools and evidence
for shaping of obsidian [volcanic glass] into sharp blades," Dr Shaw said.

"As we dug deeper, we reached an even earlier cultural layer before the introduction of pottery. What amazed us was the amount of mammal bone
we recovered, some of which could be positively identified as pig and
dog. These animals were introduced to New Guinea by Lapita and were
associated with the use of turtle shell to make tools." Dr Shaw said
the new discovery explains why the Lapita people colonised the Pacific
islands 3,000 years ago and the role that Indigenous populations in New
Guinea had in Lapita decisions to look for new islands to live on.

According to Dr Shaw, later Lapita dispersals through PNG and interaction
with Indigenous populations profoundly influenced the region as a global
centre of cultural and linguistic diversity.

"It is one of the greatest migrations in human history and finally we
have evidence to help explain why the migration might have occurred and
why it took place when it did," he said.

"We had no indication this would be a site of significance, and a
lot of the time we were flying blind with the areas we surveyed and
when looking for archaeological sites, so it is very much like finding
the proverbial needle in a haystack." The research involved many ANU researchers and international collaborators who showed how migration
pathways and island-hopping strategies culminated in rapid and purposeful Pacific-wide settlement.

Video: https://youtu.be/zq-CoqN8K_U "A lot of our good fortune was
because of the cultural knowledge, and we built a strong relationship
with the locals based on honesty and transparency about our research on
their traditional lands. Without their express permission, this kind of
work would simply not be possible. The Brooker community is listed as
the senior author on the paper to acknowledge their fundamental role in
this research," Dr Shaw said.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Australian_National_University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Ben Shaw, Stuart Hawkins, Lorena Becerra-Valdivia, Chris
S. M. Turney,
Simon Coxe, Vincent Kewibu, Jemina Haro, Kenneth Miamba, Mathieu
Leclerc, Matthew Spriggs, Karen Privat, Simon Haberle, Felicitas
Hopf, Emily Hull, Alana Pengilley, Samantha Brown, Christopher
E. Marjo, Geraldine Jacobsen, Lincoln Wesley, Robinson Nuabui,
Starford Jubilee, Archy Losane Yapeth, Joe Norman, Paul, Munt,
Steven Lincoln, Isaiah Stanley, Eyasi Sanibalath, Tau Jack,
Benard Isei, David Vilan, Robert Lincoln, Lincoln Inosi, Sima
Lahaga, Wesley Lincoln, Tom Eliuda, Ernest Mark, Able Moimoi,
Lemeki Isaia, Felix Jack, Heke Jack, George Sadiba, Solomon
Ruben, Weda Gaunedi, John Sakiusa, Leon, Joseph Betuel, Kingsley,
Ishmael, Edwin, Harry, G. Oscar, Joel, Jeremiah, Jimmy, Jerry,
Roger, Joseph Nua, Lemeki, Nason, Thomas, Yadila. Frontier Lapita
interaction with resident Papuan populations set the stage for
initial peopling of the Pacific. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2022;
DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01735-w ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220422114740.htm

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