Social aspects of pottery manufacture in Boera, Papua New Guinea

Abstract

The prehistoric and historic indigenous pottery traditions of Papua New Guinea have been studied in considerable detail. From ethnographic records it is known that pottery was made in certain, mainly lowland, localities. These include many villages along the north coast from Sepik Province to Milne Bay, a few villages on the south eastern coast; many inland villages in Sepik and Madang Provinces; and a very few villages in the Eastern Highlands. In the islands pottery was made in some villages on the islands of Milne Bay Province, on Buka Island, and elsewhere in the North Solomons (May and Tuckson 1982: 12). In many of these villages pottery has now declined or even vanished since people prefer aluminium pans which are often cheaper and last longer, rather than earthenware pots (May and Tuckson, 1982). Show more