A PRACTICE-CENTRED APPROACH TO UNEAPA ISLAND’S ARCHAEOLOGY IN A LONG-TERM CONTEXT Sarah Elizabeth Byrne Institute of Archaeology University College London Ph.D (Doctor of Philosophy) Degree UMI Number: U592572 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U592572 Published by ProQuest LLC 2013. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 For Ken Long ol lav na gutpela sapport yu givim mi na bikos yu no kranki man tumas taim yu markim plenti siton long Uneapa! For all your love and support and patience when having to record thousands upon thousands of identical stones on Uneapa! 2 Abstract Recent archaeological research on Uneapa Island, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea has uncovered a rich and varied archaeological landscape, unique within the surrounding region. Locates range from single stones to large-scale complexes of over three hundred arranged stone features. 'Seats' and tables', stone mortars, cooking places, grinding stones and carved boulders have been found in various contexts and locations throughout the island. Uneapa islanders are divided in their attitude to these features, opinions range from expressions of indifference to passionate engagement and specialist knowledge. Most locales are remembered as being clan meeting places (tupuanga mudina (U)), used up to the time of European contact; public arenas in which a range of social activities took place, including oratory, song and dance performances, cooking, feasting and cannibalism etc. Although most locales seem to have been abandoned after European contact, certain groups continue to actively interact with these places through processes of re-erecting and re­ locating the stone features. This thesis argues that social practice needs more serious consideration in the interpretation of monumental landscapes. The fracas with functionalism and replacement of epistemology and phenomenology as central agendas within postprocessual monument studies has largely de-prioritised consideration of social practice in favour of perception. I aim to rectify this imbalance by exploring the role of practice in the creation, use/re-use, maintenance/destruction and development of the stone feature complexes on Uneapa. In order to achieve this aim, I have developed a methodology that creates a dialogue between local perspectives and archaeological analysis. This helps to provide a better understanding of the meaning and distribution pattern of Uneapa's features/locales. Stone features in Melanesia are understudied and those studied elsewhere in the Pacific have mostly been framed within social evolutionary paradigms. This research offers not only the first systematic study of stone features in the Bismarck Archipelago, but also provides important methodological and theoretical frameworks that can contribute to the understanding of monumental landscapes both in the Pacific and beyond. 3 Table of Contents Title Page 1 Dedication 2 Abstract 3 Table of Contents 4 Figures List 7 Appendix List 12 Chapter Insets 13 Acknowledgements 14 Chapter 1: Introduction 17 1.1 Introduction 18 1.2ThesisAims 18 1.3 Setting the Scene 20 1.4 Structure of the Thesis 25 Chapter 2: A Practice-Centred Approach 28 2.1 Introduction: Postprocessual Agendas 29 2.2 Position of Social Practice 31 2.2.1 Antiquarianism to Postprocessualism: A Treatise of Practice 2.2.2 Agency and Practice 32 2.2.3 Landscape 44 2.2.4 Materiality 49 2.3 Qualities of Practice 53 2.3.1 Why Practice'? 55 2.3.2 Identification and Conceptualisation of Social Practice 60 2.4 Summing up: Practice and Perception and Uneapa's Archaeology 66 Chapter 3: Practice and the Pacific 69 3.1 Introduction 70 3.2 History of Research on Western Pacific Stone Features 71 3.2.1 Stone Monuments in Melanesia pre-1960 71 3.2.2 Stone Monuments in Melanesia post-1960 75 3.2.3 Summary of Research 85 3.3 Polynesian and Melanesian Monument Studies: Differing Agendas 86 3.3.1 Introduction 86 3.3.2 Pacific Monuments and Social Complexity 87 3.3.3 Concepts of Practice 91 3.3.4 Change and the Long-Term 93 3.4 Conclusion 96 Chapter 4: Local Perspectives and Archaeology 98 4.1 Introduction 99 4.2 An integrated approach between local perspectives and archaeology: Why? 100 4.2.1 Local perspectives and research questions 100 4.2.2 Methodological context and complexities 101 4.3 Archaeology and Local Perspectives: How'? 113 4.3.1 Survey Strategy 113 4.3.2 Surveying the Archaeology 114 4.3.3 Recording Local Perspectives on Uneapa Island 120 4.4 Conclusion 125 4 Chapter 5: Uneapa Island’s Features and Locales 127 5.1 Introduction 128 5.2 Feature Level: An Exploration 128 5.2.1 Introduction 128 5.2.2 Stone Feature Material 129 5.2.3 Stone Feature Types 131 5.2.4 Feature Level: Insights and Patterns 152 5.3 Locale Level: An Exploration 154 5.3.1 Introduction 154 5.3.2 Locales with only one feature type present 156 5.3.3 Locales with more than one feature type present 158 5.3.4 Meaning of Feature Interrelationships 160 5.4 Conclusion 165 Chapter 6: Practice on a Locale-Level 167 6.1 Introduction 168 6.2 Case Study Locales 169 6.3 Making of Locales 171 6.3.1 Size of Locales 172 6.3.2 Construction Materials 172 6.3.3 Layout of Locales: Making for Doing'? 175 6.4 Doing within Place 185 6.4.1 Community Dialogue 185 6.4.2 Food-Related Practices 189 6.4.3 Community Performance- A Place for Singsing'? 202 6.5 Findings and Implications 205 6.5.1 Findings 205 6.5.2 Methodological Implications 208 6.5.3 Theoretical Implications 211 6.6 Conclusion 213 Chapter 7: Practice on a Landscape Level 215 7.1 Introduction 216 7.2 Locale Distribution Patterns and Remembered Clan Groups 216 7.2.1 Identifying Clan Groups 216 7.2.2 Analysing Clan Groups 219 7.2.3 Clan Groups: A Discussion 230 7.3 Findings and Implications 236 7.3.1 Findings 238 7.3.2 Methodological Implications 238 7.3.3 Theoretical Implications 239 7.4 Conclusion 246 Chapter 8: Recent Practices 247 8.1 Introduction 248 8.2 Locale Distribution Patterns in a Post-contact context 249 8.2.1 Village Case Studies 249 8.2.2 Plantation Patterning 255 8.2.3 Recent Features 261 8.3 Findings and Implications 264 8.3.1 Findings 264 8.3.2 Methodological Implications 265 8.3.3 Theoretical Implications: Practice and Perception 266 8.4 Conclusion 272 5 Chapter 9 Conclusion 274 9.1 Research Process 275 9.2 Research Contributions 275 9.3 Theoretical Position 276 9.4 Method 279 9.5 Future Areas of Research 282 9.6 Final Words 287 Bibliography 289 6 Figures List Figure no 1.1 Map showing location of Uneapa Island in relation to PNG Mainland (courtesy of Robin Torrence). Figure 1.2 Map showing the different islands in the Bali-Vitu Group. Figure 1.3 Map showing Uneapa island showing different villages Figure 1.4 Photographs A and B are those taken on Uneapa by Richard Parkinson (1999 [1907]: 90 and 99). Figure 1.5 Selection of photographs taken by Inge Riebe at Malangai Village, Uneapa Island (1967: plates 1-3). Figure 1 6Map showing area recorded by 2002 in Bali-Vitu Islands. Figure 1 .7Map showing route taken by 2002 survey team. Figure 4.1 Map showing case study area on Uneapa Island. Figure 4.2 Photographs showing some oral history work being carried out during this project. Figure 4.3 Photographs of local men interviewed for the project. Figure 4.4 Photographs of local men interviewed for theproject. Figure 4.5 Photographs of local men interviewed for theproject. Figure 4.6 Photographs showing training day at Bola Ke Voki. Figure 5.1 Examples of different stone materials found on Uneapa as classified in this project. Figure 5.2 Photographs showing possible andesite source at Bibim (U/5) and view of largest volcano on the island Mt. Kumbu. Figure 5.3 Variations of type 1 (stone seats). Figure 5.4 Variations of type 1 (stone seats). Figure 5.5 Examples of type 2 features (tables). Figure 5.6 Examples of type 3 (standing stones). Figure 5.7 Examples of type 10 (mumus). Figure 5.8 Examples of type 11 (keeping places). Figure 5.9 Bito Rave and example of barkcloth beater from within his keeping place at U/147 Figure 5.10 Examples of type 4 (mortars). Figure 5.11 Examples of type 5 (cupuled boulders). Figure 5.12 Examples of type 6 (axe-grinding grooves). Figure 5.13 Examples of type 7 (grinding hollows). Figure 5.14 Examples of type 8a (curvilinear rock art). Figure 5.15 Example of type 8b (rectilinear rock art) at U/37. Figure 5.16 Examples of type 9 (three-dimensional rock art). Figure 5.17 Photograph showing recently decorated cement road to Malangai (Eastern Uneapa) (RT). Figure 5.18 Table showing all 43 different feature combinations at locales in Western Uneapa. Figure 5.19 Locales with constructed and modified stone features in Western Uneapa. Figure 5.20 Number of locales with 1 to 9 different feature types on Western Uneapa.