Collingwood Bay and the Trobriand Islands in recent prehistory : settlement and interaction in coastal and island Papua

Abstract

In November 1967, the field work which supports this study was initiated. At that time the prehistory of the world's second largest island was relatively unknown. Published studies dealing with the prehistory of New Guinea were limited. A pot-pourri of reports touched upon the subject and made pronouncements regarding the antiquity of the island's cultures. However, most of these efforts were not based in archaeological field work. Prior to 1967, only a few archaeological projects of any consequence had been attempted. These investigations were limited to the picturesque and attractive Highlands of the Territory of New Guinea. The Territory of Papua and West Irian were all but ignored by archaeologists. Show more