Mound-and-ditch taro gardens of the Bensbach or Torassi River area, southwest Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Mound-and-ditch agricultural systems are a significant component of the archaeological record in central-southern New Guinea and the Torres Strait Islands, but few detailed accounts of them exist. This paper examines the construction, use and abandonment of this garden type in the Bensbach or Torassi River area, in the extreme southwest corner of Papua New Guinea, based largely on ethnohistorical research. It is argued that complex vegetational and hydrological changes were primarily responsible for the decision to abandon this form of agriculture, with demographic and technological shifts likely contributing factors. Show more