The Appearance of Plant and Animal Domestication in New Guinea - article ; n°69 ; vol.36, pg 294-303

Jack. Golson, P. P.J.Hughes

Description

Journal de la Société des océanistes - Année 1980 - Volume 36 - Numéro 69 - Pages 294-303
search Station in the upper Wahgi valley, Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea, are interpreted as indicating the beginning of agriculture in the region at about 9 000 years BP. The deposits in the swamp register an episode of accelerated erosion in the catchments explained as due to forest clearance for gardening. A contemporary channel in the swamp basin is considered to be a man-made feature, designed to remove water and allow gardening in the basin itself. Archaeological features thought to be associated with this gardening are described. Amongst them are basins possibly resulting from the wallowing of pigs, animals not indigenous to New Guinea. The date of arrival of pigs in the island ultimately from Southeast Asia, at present a matter of dispute, is discussed in relation to the question of whether the earliest New Guinea agriculture was based on native New Guinea plants or already incorporated the allegedly Southeast Asian cultigens which are dominant in contemporary New Guinea, and Pacific, agriculture.
Des matériaux obtenus au cours d'un programme de recherches archéologiques, géomorphologiques et paléobotaniques dans une zone marécageuse de la Kuk Agricultural Research Station dans la haute vallée de la Wahgi (Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea), sont interprétés comme indiquant le début de l'agriculture dans la région vers 9 000 avant le présent. Les dépôts du marécage révèlent un épisode d'érosion accélérée dans le captage des eaux, dû à des deforestations opérées pour l'agriculture. Un canal contemporain du bassin marécageux est estimé avoir été ouvert pour évacuer les eaux et permettre l'agriculture dans le bassin même. Les traits archéologiques supposés être associés à cette forme de culture sont décrits, dont des bassins résultant peut-être des bauges à cochons, animaux non autochtones en Nouvelle-Guinée. Le problème de la date d'introduction du cochon dans l'île à partir de l'Asie du Sud-Est — un sujet à controverse — est mis en rapport avec la question de savoir si l'agriculture originelle en Nouvelle-Guinée fut basée sur la domestication des plantes locales ou dépendit des cultigènes prétendument d'origine sud-est asiatique, dominants dans l'agriculture contemporaine de Nouvelle-Guinée et du Pacifique.
10 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

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• Publié par: JOURNAL_DE_LA_SOCIETE_DES_OCEANISTES
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1980
• Nombre de lectures: 111
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Jack. Golson
P. J. Hughes
The Appearance of Plant and Animal Domestication in New
Guinea
In: Journal de la Société des océanistes. N°69, Tome 36, 1980. pp. 294-303.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Golson Jack., Hughes P. J. The Appearance of Plant and Animal Domestication in New Guinea. In: Journal de la Société des
océanistes. N°69, Tome 36, 1980. pp. 294-303.
doi : 10.3406/jso.1980.3044
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/jso_0300-953X_1980_num_36_69_3044Abstract
search Station in the upper Wahgi valley, Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea, are
interpreted as indicating the beginning of agriculture in the region at about 9 000 years BP. The deposits
in the swamp register an episode of accelerated erosion in the catchments explained as due to forest
clearance for gardening. A contemporary channel in the swamp basin is considered to be a man-made
feature, designed to remove water and allow gardening in the basin itself. Archaeological features
thought to be associated with this gardening are described. Amongst them are basins possibly resulting
from the wallowing of pigs, animals not indigenous to New Guinea. The date of arrival of pigs in the
island ultimately from Southeast Asia, at present a matter of dispute, is discussed in relation to the
question of whether the earliest New Guinea agriculture was based on native New Guinea plants or
already incorporated the allegedly Southeast Asian cultigens which are dominant in contemporary New
Guinea, and Pacific, agriculture.
Résumé
Des matériaux obtenus au cours d'un programme de recherches archéologiques, géomorphologiques et
paléobotaniques dans une zone marécageuse de la Kuk Agricultural Research Station dans la haute
vallée de la Wahgi (Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea), sont interprétés comme
indiquant le début de l'agriculture dans la région vers 9 000 avant le présent. Les dépôts du marécage
révèlent un épisode d'érosion accélérée dans le captage des eaux, dû à des deforestations opérées
pour l'agriculture. Un canal contemporain du bassin marécageux est estimé avoir été ouvert pour
évacuer les eaux et permettre l'agriculture dans le bassin même. Les traits archéologiques supposés
être associés à cette forme de culture sont décrits, dont des bassins résultant peut-être des bauges à
cochons, animaux non autochtones en Nouvelle-Guinée. Le problème de la date d'introduction du
cochon dans l'île à partir de l'Asie du Sud-Est — un sujet à controverse — est mis en rapport avec la
question de savoir si l'agriculture originelle en Nouvelle-Guinée fut basée sur la domestication des
plantes locales ou dépendit des cultigènes prétendument d'origine sud-est asiatique, dominants dans
l'agriculture contemporaine de Nouvelle-Guinée et du Pacifique.The Appearance of Plant
and Animal Domestication in New Guinea
by Jack GOLSON and P. J. HUGHES #
Recent reviews of the question of the origins on investigations in the swamplands of the
of agriculture (e.g. Higgs and Jarman 1972) upper Wahgi valley at Kuk Tea Research Sta
have thrown doubt on the validity not only of tion at 1 550 m altitude near Mount Hagen1
the criteria used by archaeologists to argue (Fig. 1). At this stage of the research when
the presence of plant and animal domesticat fieldwork is incomplete and analysis of data
ion in prehistory but also of the formulation even more so, interpretations must be ten
of the problem itself. Theoretically the situa tative.
tion of New Guinea, beyond the biogeographi-
cal divide of Wallace's and other lines, should
avoid some of the issues involved. It could Agriculture.
be argued that, since the major staples and
domesticated animals of its traditional econo In New Guinea as in other parts of the
mies are of exotic origin, their introduction world, indirect evidence of various kinds and
was the work of indisputably agricultural strengths has been used to argue the appea
immigrants and that their appearance in the rance of an agriculturally based economy :
archaeological record provides incontrovert palynological indications of declining forest
ible evidence for the beginnings of agricul values interpreted as due to forest clearance,
ture in the island and its earlier presence in archaeological evidence for changes in techno
the regions from which the plants and animals logy and site utilisation, together with argu
were deliberately introduced. ments from the presence of the pig. Though
This paper is concerned with the evidence assessing the evidence in different ways, three
for these introductions and beginnings, and its commentators, White (1972 : 142-8), Bulmer
interpretation. Many of the basic data are (1975 : 43-6) and Christensen (1975 : 31-5),
conveniently set out in a recent survey of New agree on a date of about 6 000 BP by which
Guinea prehistory by Susan Bulmer (1975). agriculture was well established in the Highl
Others are supplied by the ongoing work of the ands, the only area for which the relevant
authors and colleagues in the Australian Na evidence is available. Recent evidence from
tional University's project into the agricultural Kuk suggests that we can push the story fur
history of the New Guinea Highlands centred ther back.
* Australian National University. Canberra Australie.
1. Acknowledgement is due to the Papua New Guinea Government for permission to carry out the research;
to the PNG Department of Primary Industry for allowing the work to be carried out at one of its research sta
tions ; and to the successive managers of Kuk, the late John Morgan, Douglas Grace and Batley Rowson, and
their staff, for their every help and cooperation.
The project as a whole has been almost entirely funded by the Australian National University. We are
indebted to the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research (Inc) for contributing to the cost of
labour during the 1974 season (grant 3016).
That part of the undertaking discussed here is in debt to the fieldwork of, and discussions with, project col
leagues, especially Jocelyn Powell and Russell Blong (to whose participation Macquarie University, Sydney, has
made an appreciated contribution). Jim Rhoads and Klim Gollan helped in the investigation of some of the
archaeological features described. As a regular visitor to the site, Colin Pain has been a valuable participant
in discussions.
Jenny and Geoff Hope and Ernst Loffler were helpful with references, information, and comments during the
preparation of the paper itself. THE APPEARANCE OF PLANT AND ANIMAL DOMESTICATION IN NEW GUINEA 295
•s- Flat lying
Kuk Tea Research poorly drained land
Station
2 Km
Ficure. 1. — Location of Kuk Tea Research Station, near Mt. Hagen. ,
SOCIETE DES OCEANISTES 296
mulated at an average rate of at most 3 cm/
1 000 years. Around 9 000 years ago the dea) Dry-land agriculture.
position began of a distinctive grey clay. De
position of this clay ended about 6 000 years The stratigraphy of the Kuk swamp has been
recorded along 15 km of modern drainage ago when the digging of large disposal chan
ditches over an area of 100 ha (Fig. 2). All nels in connection with swamp gardening ra
but the top 1-2 m of deposit consists of orga dically altered the character of sedimentation
nic-rich muds and peats and over parts of the in the swamp. During this interval the rate
site the levels deeper than 3 m are beyond of deposition increased to 10 cm/1 000 years,
the range of radiocarbon dating2. Such dat to which organic material makes virtually no
contribution. This average figure rather ing, where applicable, shows that rates of
accumulation have been slow and, as much of understates the striking nature of the acce
the deposit extends below 4 m from the sur lerated rate, since the grey clay is a fan de
face and in places up to 13 m, it is probable posit which is thickest at the southern marg
that the swamp began to form considerably ins of the site where the sediment-bearing
more than 50,000 years ago. waters enter, and wedges out 700-800 m
north. Time scale (years) 0 •
modern peat 100 •-
ca. 500-100
garden soil
ca. 1800-1200 § 2300*- ca. 4000-2300 black clay at ca 6000-5000 55004
7500*
grey clay
2 5
9000»- ca 9000
dark grey to black
slightly organic clay
20000*-
black organic clay
30000*-
40 30 20 10 red brown organic swamp deposits Time span (x 1000 years)
up to 10m. thick Figure 3. — Rate of soil loss from the southern catch-
ment of the Kuk swamp. Figure 2. — Stratigraphy of the Kuk swamp with drai
nage phases at right. When these rates of deposition are con
verted to rates of lowering of land surface in
The inorganic component of the swamp de the catchment by erosion, a similar picture
posits consists of sediment washed in suspen of acceleration emerges. Up to 20,000 years
ago the rate of loss of soil in suspension from sion from the surroundirig dry land, princi
pally a small catchment in low tephra- the catchment averaged 0.6 m3/km2/year or
m