Marine shell from Walufeni Cave and the origins of the Kasua: Implications for Late Holocene socio-cultural interaction on the Great Papuan Plateau, Papua New Guinea

Abstract

This paper presents new radiocarbon dates for the presence of marine shell at Walufeni Cave, dating from 3,250 cal BP. Walufeni Cave is located at the eastern end of the Great Papuan Plateau, Papua New Guinea, approximately 200 km in a straight line from the southern coast, thus the presence of marine shell here has significant implications for understanding changes in regional social dynamics during the Late Holocene. It is posited that the sudden appearance of marine shell at this time is linked to the spread of Austronesian influences along the southern coast of Papua New Guinea and Torres Strait—characterised by McNiven as the Coral Sea Cultural Interaction Sphere (CSCIS). Although largely modelled as a maritime system, we argue here that the CSCIS is linked to the movement of people and riverine exchange systems extending far into the interior.