... The small island of Koey Ngurtai is located in Western Torres Strait, some 5 km from and midw... more ... The small island of Koey Ngurtai is located in Western Torres Strait, some 5 km from and midway between the residential islands of Badu to the south and Mabuyag to the north (Figure 1). Koey Ngurtai consists of four granite hills which remained above water following marine ...
Koey Ngurtai is a small, uninhabited island located midway between the residential islands of Bad... more Koey Ngurtai is a small, uninhabited island located midway between the residential islands of Badu and Mabuyag in western Torres Strait. In 2003 and 2004, 100% surveys of the islet revealed 166 cultural sites. Fifty archaeological excavations were undertaken, revealing a rich history of islet use culminating with the emergence of Koey Ngurtai as a ritual centre after 550–700 cal BP, and a proliferation of ritual structures focused on dugong hunting magic after 350–550 cal BP. Shortly after the arrival of colonial powers in Torres Strait in the 1870s, including pearl shelling and missionary activity, Koey Ngurtai's ritual status was again transformed. This paper reports on these archaeological investigations and historicises Koey Ngurtai as a ritual land-and-seascape.
Archaeology in Oceania
Archaeology in Oceania
Next article in issue: Pre-Austronesian dispersal of banana cultivars West from New Guinea: linguistic relics from Eastern Indonesia
Koey Ngurtai is a small, uninhabited island located midway between the residential islands of Badu and Mabuyag in western Torres Strait. In 2003 and 2004, 100% surveys of the islet revealed 166 cultural sites. Fifty archaeological excavations were undertaken, revealing a rich history of islet use culminating with the emergence of Koey Ngurtai as a ritual centre after 550–700 cal BP, and a proliferation of ritual structures focused on dugong hunting magic after 350–550 cal BP. Shortly after the arrival of colonial powers in Torres Strait in the 1870s, including pearl shelling and missionary activity, Koey Ngurtai's ritual status was again transformed. This paper reports on these archaeological investigations and historicises Koey Ngurtai as a ritual land-and-seascape.
... The small island of Koey Ngurtai is located in Western Torres Strait, some 5 km from and midw... more ... The small island of Koey Ngurtai is located in Western Torres Strait, some 5 km from and midway between the residential islands of Badu to the south and Mabuyag to the north (Figure 1). Koey Ngurtai consists of four granite hills which remained above water following marine ...
A magnetometer survey was conducted on the abandoned village site of Keveoki 1, near the Vailala ... more A magnetometer survey was conducted on the abandoned village site of Keveoki 1, near the Vailala River, Gulf Province, PNG. The survey, using a single sensor proton precession magnetometer, was successful in locating and defining the boundaries of areas confirmed by excavation to contain dense assemblages of pottery. The combination of geophysical and excavation results allowed a broader understanding of the spatial distribution of human occupation at Keveoki 1 than would have been possible based on excavation or visual field walking alone. We suggest this technique should be applied more regularly.
Local responses to shifting coastlines feature prominently in the oral histories of the Gulf Prov... more Local responses to shifting coastlines feature prominently in the oral histories of the Gulf Province (Papua New Guinea). Stories told in the Kouri district, east of the Vailala River, tell of a past when villages that are today located 6 km from the sea were then coastal settlements with communities actively engaged in regular exchange relations with seafaring Motu traders. Archaeological excavations at Meiharo provide further insights into such relations around 500 cal BP, apparently shortly preceding the period of oral tradition. In doing so, Meiharo further contextualises the history of the ethnographically recorded hiri exchange system, a network of exchange partnerships which affected the lives of people living along at least 400 km of the PNG southern lowlands. This paper focuses on the excavations and ceramics from the site of Meiharo 1.
The history of pottery use along the south coast of Papua New Guinea spans from Lapita times, her... more The history of pottery use along the south coast of Papua New Guinea spans from Lapita times, here dated to 2900-2600 cal BP, through to mass production of pottery associated with a number of ethnographically-known interaction (and exchange) networks. Understanding the antecedents and developmental histories of these interaction networks is of considerable importance to archaeological research from local to western Pacific geographical scales. The archaeological site of Ruisasi 1 located at Caution Bay near Port Moresby provides new insights into scales of pottery production before the development of the regional Motu hiri exchange system within the past 500 years. Here faunal remains indicate occupation by marine specialists who exploited a diverse range of local marine environments. Nearly 20,000 ceramic sherds are present in Square A, mostly from a 26cm thick ‘pottery midden’. A minimum of 45 red slip/plainware vessels based on conjoined sets of sherds plus two vessels with incised decoration are present; the maximum number of clay vessels based on Fabric Types is 146. The globular red slip/plainware pots have standardised shapes and sizes, consistent with mass pottery production. The concentration of sherds from these pots within the pottery midden reflects short-duration depositional events within the period of village life c.1680-1180 cal BP. Whether or not the pots were made locally or imported is the subject of ongoing research. Whatever the case, Ruisasi 1 raises the possibility of mass pottery production linked to a regional interaction network pre-dating the hiri.
... The small island of Koey Ngurtai is located in Western Torres Strait, some 5 km from and midw... more ... The small island of Koey Ngurtai is located in Western Torres Strait, some 5 km from and midway between the residential islands of Badu to the south and Mabuyag to the north (Figure 1). Koey Ngurtai consists of four granite hills which remained above water following marine ...
Koey Ngurtai is a small, uninhabited island located midway between the residential islands of Bad... more Koey Ngurtai is a small, uninhabited island located midway between the residential islands of Badu and Mabuyag in western Torres Strait. In 2003 and 2004, 100% surveys of the islet revealed 166 cultural sites. Fifty archaeological excavations were undertaken, revealing a rich history of islet use culminating with the emergence of Koey Ngurtai as a ritual centre after 550–700 cal BP, and a proliferation of ritual structures focused on dugong hunting magic after 350–550 cal BP. Shortly after the arrival of colonial powers in Torres Strait in the 1870s, including pearl shelling and missionary activity, Koey Ngurtai's ritual status was again transformed. This paper reports on these archaeological investigations and historicises Koey Ngurtai as a ritual land-and-seascape.
Archaeology in Oceania
Archaeology in Oceania
Next article in issue: Pre-Austronesian dispersal of banana cultivars West from New Guinea: linguistic relics from Eastern Indonesia
Koey Ngurtai is a small, uninhabited island located midway between the residential islands of Badu and Mabuyag in western Torres Strait. In 2003 and 2004, 100% surveys of the islet revealed 166 cultural sites. Fifty archaeological excavations were undertaken, revealing a rich history of islet use culminating with the emergence of Koey Ngurtai as a ritual centre after 550–700 cal BP, and a proliferation of ritual structures focused on dugong hunting magic after 350–550 cal BP. Shortly after the arrival of colonial powers in Torres Strait in the 1870s, including pearl shelling and missionary activity, Koey Ngurtai's ritual status was again transformed. This paper reports on these archaeological investigations and historicises Koey Ngurtai as a ritual land-and-seascape.
... The small island of Koey Ngurtai is located in Western Torres Strait, some 5 km from and midw... more ... The small island of Koey Ngurtai is located in Western Torres Strait, some 5 km from and midway between the residential islands of Badu to the south and Mabuyag to the north (Figure 1). Koey Ngurtai consists of four granite hills which remained above water following marine ...
A magnetometer survey was conducted on the abandoned village site of Keveoki 1, near the Vailala ... more A magnetometer survey was conducted on the abandoned village site of Keveoki 1, near the Vailala River, Gulf Province, PNG. The survey, using a single sensor proton precession magnetometer, was successful in locating and defining the boundaries of areas confirmed by excavation to contain dense assemblages of pottery. The combination of geophysical and excavation results allowed a broader understanding of the spatial distribution of human occupation at Keveoki 1 than would have been possible based on excavation or visual field walking alone. We suggest this technique should be applied more regularly.
Local responses to shifting coastlines feature prominently in the oral histories of the Gulf Prov... more Local responses to shifting coastlines feature prominently in the oral histories of the Gulf Province (Papua New Guinea). Stories told in the Kouri district, east of the Vailala River, tell of a past when villages that are today located 6 km from the sea were then coastal settlements with communities actively engaged in regular exchange relations with seafaring Motu traders. Archaeological excavations at Meiharo provide further insights into such relations around 500 cal BP, apparently shortly preceding the period of oral tradition. In doing so, Meiharo further contextualises the history of the ethnographically recorded hiri exchange system, a network of exchange partnerships which affected the lives of people living along at least 400 km of the PNG southern lowlands. This paper focuses on the excavations and ceramics from the site of Meiharo 1.
The history of pottery use along the south coast of Papua New Guinea spans from Lapita times, her... more The history of pottery use along the south coast of Papua New Guinea spans from Lapita times, here dated to 2900-2600 cal BP, through to mass production of pottery associated with a number of ethnographically-known interaction (and exchange) networks. Understanding the antecedents and developmental histories of these interaction networks is of considerable importance to archaeological research from local to western Pacific geographical scales. The archaeological site of Ruisasi 1 located at Caution Bay near Port Moresby provides new insights into scales of pottery production before the development of the regional Motu hiri exchange system within the past 500 years. Here faunal remains indicate occupation by marine specialists who exploited a diverse range of local marine environments. Nearly 20,000 ceramic sherds are present in Square A, mostly from a 26cm thick ‘pottery midden’. A minimum of 45 red slip/plainware vessels based on conjoined sets of sherds plus two vessels with incised decoration are present; the maximum number of clay vessels based on Fabric Types is 146. The globular red slip/plainware pots have standardised shapes and sizes, consistent with mass pottery production. The concentration of sherds from these pots within the pottery midden reflects short-duration depositional events within the period of village life c.1680-1180 cal BP. Whether or not the pots were made locally or imported is the subject of ongoing research. Whatever the case, Ruisasi 1 raises the possibility of mass pottery production linked to a regional interaction network pre-dating the hiri.
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Archaeology in Oceania
Archaeology in Oceania
Next article in issue: Pre-Austronesian dispersal of banana cultivars West from New Guinea: linguistic relics from Eastern Indonesia
View issue TOC
Volume 44, Issue 1
April 2009
Pages 1–17
Koey Ngurtai: the emergence of a ritual domain in Western Torres Strait
Authors
BRUNO DAVID,
IAN J. McNIVEN,
JOE CROUCH,
MURA BADULGAL,
ROBERT SKELLY,
BRYCE BARKER,
KRIS COURTNEY,
GEOFFREY HEWITT,
CORPORATION COMMITTEE
First published: April 2009Full publication history
DOI: 10.1002/j.1834-4453.2009.tb00040.xView/save citation
Cited by: 8 articles
Citation tools
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Abstract
Koey Ngurtai is a small, uninhabited island located midway between the residential islands of Badu and Mabuyag in western Torres Strait. In 2003 and 2004, 100% surveys of the islet revealed 166 cultural sites. Fifty archaeological excavations were undertaken, revealing a rich history of islet use culminating with the emergence of Koey Ngurtai as a ritual centre after 550–700 cal BP, and a proliferation of ritual structures focused on dugong hunting magic after 350–550 cal BP. Shortly after the arrival of colonial powers in Torres Strait in the 1870s, including pearl shelling and missionary activity, Koey Ngurtai's ritual status was again transformed. This paper reports on these archaeological investigations and historicises Koey Ngurtai as a ritual land-and-seascape.
Archaeology in Oceania
Archaeology in Oceania
Next article in issue: Pre-Austronesian dispersal of banana cultivars West from New Guinea: linguistic relics from Eastern Indonesia
View issue TOC
Volume 44, Issue 1
April 2009
Pages 1–17
Koey Ngurtai: the emergence of a ritual domain in Western Torres Strait
Authors
BRUNO DAVID,
IAN J. McNIVEN,
JOE CROUCH,
MURA BADULGAL,
ROBERT SKELLY,
BRYCE BARKER,
KRIS COURTNEY,
GEOFFREY HEWITT,
CORPORATION COMMITTEE
First published: April 2009Full publication history
DOI: 10.1002/j.1834-4453.2009.tb00040.xView/save citation
Cited by: 8 articles
Citation tools
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abstract
Koey Ngurtai is a small, uninhabited island located midway between the residential islands of Badu and Mabuyag in western Torres Strait. In 2003 and 2004, 100% surveys of the islet revealed 166 cultural sites. Fifty archaeological excavations were undertaken, revealing a rich history of islet use culminating with the emergence of Koey Ngurtai as a ritual centre after 550–700 cal BP, and a proliferation of ritual structures focused on dugong hunting magic after 350–550 cal BP. Shortly after the arrival of colonial powers in Torres Strait in the 1870s, including pearl shelling and missionary activity, Koey Ngurtai's ritual status was again transformed. This paper reports on these archaeological investigations and historicises Koey Ngurtai as a ritual land-and-seascape.