AN ETHN0ARCHAE0L06ICAL STUDY OF MABUIAG ISLAND, TORRES STRAIT, NORTHERN AUSTRALIA BY BARBARA GHALEB Thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Ph.D. in the Institute of Archaeology, University College London 1990 Abstract In this thesis an ethnoarchaeological approach is applied to the study of past settlement and subsistence on the island of Mabuiag, one of the Western Torres Strait Islands situated midway between the continent of Australia and the continental island of New Guinea. This region of the world, and Mabuiag in particular, was selected for study on account of its methodological interest, i.e. the potential for interpreting archaeological remains on Mabuiag in relation to two additional non-archaeological sources of data: historical and contemporary ethnographic accounts, and information from present-day Islanders. This study is an example of an ethnohistorical or direct historical approach to archaeological data because the most important ethnographic information studied is derived from middle and late nineteenth-century observations, and is culturally and geographically specific to the archaeological remains found. The present-day environmental and cultural setting of the Torres Strait region is discussed before the history of European contact in the area is reviewed. Information on the lifestyle of the Islanders and Cape York Aborigines contained in the earliest European records provides views of Islander life prior to sustained contact with Europeans. The nature and effects of the subsequent 20 years of European contact in the area are then considered in order to establish the validity of the analogical use of the late-nineteenth century ethnographic accounts that relate most specifically to the archaeological research of this ii thesis: i.e. the Haddon Reports. The appropriateness of the use of the Haddon Reports is demonstrated and aspects of the ethnography most relevant to the traditional patterns of settlement and subsistence on Mabuiag are discussed in relation to the objectives and results of the archaeological reconnaissance, survey and excavation carried out on Mabuiag Island. Interpretations of the archaeological data are presented both with and without consideration of the ethnographic information, and in conclusion the nature of the archaeological interpretations that can be developed when relevant ethnographic information is available is highlighted. iii Contents Acknowledgements 1 PART A: ETHNOARCHAEOLOGY AND ITS APPLICATION TO MABUIAG ISLAND Chapter 1 Ethnoarchaeoloaical investigation of subsistence and settlement Introduction 3 1.1 The research focus 6 1.2 Midden studies, a focus of 8 archaeological research 1.3 The research context 13 Chapter 2 The environmental and cultural context of research in Torres Strait 2.1 The environmental context 17 2.2 The cultural context: 23 hunter-gatherers and agriculturalists 2.3 The cultural context: unity and 26 diversity 2.4 Hypothetical explanations of settlement 36 and subsistence in Torres Strait 2.5 The archaeological and 43 palaeoenvironmental dimension 2.6 Discussion 50 PART B: SOURCES AND CRITIQUE OF PRIMARY DATA Chapter 3 Literary sources: historical and ethnographic Introduction 54 3.1 Early European explorers (1606-1840) 55 3.2 British maritime surveys and 56 ethnographic observations (1843-1873) 3.3 Early commercial, missionary and 60 government influences (1862-1888) 3.4 Effects of pearlshell stations and 64 missions on Islander life 3.5 Discussion 71 3.6 The mid-nineteenth century accounts of 73 the naturalist Jukes (1847) and the clerk Sweatman (Allen & Corris 1977) of the "Fly” and "Bramble" survey expedition to Torres Strait (1843-1846) 3.7 Discussion 88 3.8 The mid-nineteenth century accounts 89 of the naturalist MacGillivray (1852) and the artist Brierly (Moore 1979) of the "Rattlesnake" and "Bramble" survey expedition to Torres Strait (1846-1850) 3.8.1 Two tribes of the Western Islands: the 91 Kowraregas and Kulkalegas iv 3.8.2 Observations of ceremonial features 96 3.8.3 Observations of subsistence 102 3.9 Discussion 116 Chapter 4 Ethnographic and archaeological classification and description of the archaeological sites of Mabuiag Island 4.1 The Haddon Reports 125 4.2 The ethnography of settlement on 129 Mabuiag Island 4.3 Totemism, settlement, and aspects of 137 ceremonial life on Mabuiag Island 4.4 Discussion 145 4.5 Archaeological reconnaissance and 147 survey of Mabuiag Island:1984 and 1985 4.6 Archaeological reconnaissance of 149 offshore islands 4.7 Archaeological reconnaissance of 150 Mabuiag Island: areas of former settlement 4.8 Archaeological reconnaissance of 164 Mabuiag Island: additional surface features 4.9 Results of the archaeological 171 reconnaissance of Mabuiag 4.10 Archaeological survey of the Gumu area 179 4.10.1 Types of archaeological feature 181 discovered at Gumu 4.10.2 Summary and discussion of the surface 185 midden features recorded at Gumu PART C: ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA Chapter 5 The "old village" and ceremonial site of Gumu: archaeological analysis and interpretation Introduction 211 5.1 Archaeological excavation in the 212 Gumu area 5.1.1 Methodology 212 5.1.2 Platform-ridge transect excavation 213 5.1.3 Mound excavation 217 5.1.4 Radiocarbon dating of samples from 219 the Gumu area 5.2 Results of the transect and mound 222 excavations and of the stratigraphic test pits at Gumu III Introduction 222 5.2.1 The stratigraphy of the transect and 225 mound excavations and of the 16 test pits 5.2.2 Transect excavation 225 5.2.3 Mound excavation 228 5.2.4 Stratigraphic test-pit sampling 231 5.3 Analysis and interpretation of 235 excavated remains 5.3.1 Summary of patterns of composition 235 of the of the excavated deposits 5.3.2 Processing of the excavated animal 238 remains 5.3.3 Superficial bone damage: natural 241 weathering of dugong rib fragments and effects of human and animal activity 5.3.4 Summary of patterns of superficial 249 bone damage 5.3.5 Analysis and interpretation of the 250 excavated dugong and turtle remains 5.3.6 Discussion 264 5.3.7 Analysis and interpretation of the 270 excavated shellfish remains 5.3.8 Discussion 277 5.3.9 Analysis and interpretation of the 280 excavated fish remains 5.3.10 Discussion 292 5.3.11 Summary of the results of the 301 archaeological work carried out at Gumu PART D: ETHNOARCHAEOLOGICAL SYNTHESIS: SUBSISTENCE AND SETTLEMENT ON MABUIAG ISLAND Chapter 6 The Haddon ethnography: nineteenth-century Gumulaia subsistence and ceremonial practices and their significance for the interpretation of the Gumu archaeological remains Introduction 311 6.1 A seasonal view of subsistence on 313 Mabuiag 6.2 Discussion 318 6.3 The Gumulaig, Kowrarega and Kulkalega: 322 their diet and the relative importance of the foodstuffs exploited 6.4 Discussion 331 6.5 Archaeological and ethnographic 336 perspectives on Gumulaig subsistence 6.6 The social context of traditional 341 Gumulaig eating: daily sustenance and ceremonial feasting 6.7 Gumulaig ceremonial features, 357 patterns of settlement and subsistence and their relevance to the archaeology of Mabuiag Island 6.8 The archaeology of Gumu: ethnographic 373 insights and interpretive ambiguities 6.9 The archaeological significance of 384 Mabuiag Island and explanatory perspectives 6.10 Concluding comments 405 References 410 List of Figures Figure 1. Map of Torres Strait with traditional 7 and English names (from Harris 1975:102). Figure 2. Map of Torres Strait showing major 28 linguistic boundaries and major and minor group boundaries (after Shnukal 1983:27, and Haddon 1907:x). Figure 3. Sketch map of Mabuiag Island by Haddon 130 (1904:7) with traditional Islander placenames. Figure 4. Mabuiag Island: traditional Islander 132 placenames (Haddon 1904:7) and present-day additions. Figure 5. Mabuiag Island: major settlement sites 139 and clan localities indicating totemic affiliation. Figure 6. Mabuiag Island: archaeological sites and 154 types of surface archaeological features. Figure 7. East-coast lowland of Mabuiag Island 162 showing location of the Gumu area and surface archaeological features. Figure 8. Archaeological survey of the Gumu area, 182 Mabuiag Island (drawn from survey data by D.R. Harris). Figure 9. Percentage occurrence (presence/absence) 192 of material remains on surface of midden mounds, Gumu I, II, III. Figure 10. Number of species of marine mollusc on 193 surface of midden mounds by habitat, Gumu I, II, III. Figure 11. Percentage occurrence (presence/absence) 193 of dugong elements on surface of midden mounds, Gumu I,II,III. Figure 12. Percentage occurrence (presence/absence) 194 of genera of marine mollusc on surface of midden mounds, Gumu I, II, III. Figure 13. Ground-stone artefacts: a. unidentified 197 ground-adze fragment with battered edge; b. rhyolite ground spatulate file(?); c. rhyolite ground cobble axe(?) fragment with bifacially battered edge. Figure 14. Shell adzes of Hippopus hippopus: a and b. 198 Figure 15. Basalt cobble flake with bifacially 199 battered edge. (geological decriptions by Jane Roberts, Institute of Archaeology, and artefactual definitions based upon discussions with Rhys Jones (1986 pers comm., Institute of Archaeology). vii Figure 16. Ground-shell artefacts: a. shaped and 200 perforated fragment of Hippopus or Tridacna sp.; b. ground-cylindrical fragment of unidentified shell; c. half of ground and perforated apex of Conus shell (dibi^dibi); d. ground and perforated apex of Conus shell (dibi-dibi). Figure 17. Shell artefacts: a. perforated valve of 201 Anadara antiquata: b,c,d. perforated fragments of Pinctada sp.; e. edge-ground fragment of Hippopus or Tridacna sp. Figure 18. Worked fragments of Pinctada sp.: a,b,c, 202 d.e,g; f- worked and ground-edge fragment of Pinctada sp. Figure 19. Worked stone and fired clay artefacts: 203 a. vein-quartz large-core flake; b. ground pummice scraper(?); c. clay-pipe stem from Glasgow, Scotland c . 1863-1910 (Dane & Morrison 1979:50). Figure 20. Modern rodent droppings per quadrant 223 level, transect excavation, Gumu III.