This review of the evidence for ear

This review of the evidence for early agriculture in New Guinea supported by new data from Kuk Swamp demonstrates that cultivation had begun there by at least 6950-6440 cal BP and probably much earlier. Contrary to previous ideas, the first farming in New Guinea was not owed to South-East Asia, but emerged independently in the Highlands. Indeed plants such as the banana were probably first domesticated in New Guinea and later diffused into the Asian continent.
Recent multi-disciplinary investigation shavefilledoutprevious,largelyspeculative
chronologiesofprehistoricplaneexploitation(Harri s1995)andconfirmprevious
interpretationsthatagriculturearoseindependentlyinNewGuinea(Table3).NewmultidisciplinaryinvestigationsatKukhaveadvancedpreviousinterpretationsofprehistoricplant
exploitationintheHighlandsofNewGuineaintwosignificantways.
First,multi-disciplinarylinesofevidence(includingarchaeological,archaeobotanical,
palaeoecologicalandstratigraphic)showthatagriculturewaspracticedintheUpperWahgi
Valleybyatleast6950-6440calBPandprobablymuchearlier.Theevidenceforearlierplant
exploitationpracticesatKuki sinsufficientrobedefinitiveofagriculture,aspreviouslyclaimed
(Golson1977a:613-5,1991a;Golson&Hughes1980;Hope&GoLson1995:824).The
timingoftheemergenceofagricultureintheHighlandso fNewGuinearequiresclarification
throughgreaterinterpretativeresolutionofthePhase1recordatKukandtheexcavationof
additionalsiteswithevidenceofearlyHoloceneplantexploitation.
Second,agriculturemayhaveemergedintheHighlandsofNewGuineaasopposedtothe
lowlands.Golsonsuggestedthatagricultureoriginatedinrhelowlandsandspreadwiih
expandingpopulationsintotheHighlandsasclimatesamelioratedatthebeginningofthe
Holocene(Golson1991b:88-9;Hope&Golson1995:827-8).Iti sarguedherethat
agricultureemergedfrombroad-spectrumplantexploitationpracticesintheHighlandswhich
hadenabledpermanentoccupationoftheinteriorduringtheLarePleistocene.Glimatic
(LatePleistocene)andenvironmental(earlytomid-Holocene)forcingofexistingplant
exploitationpracticesledrorhedeveiopmentofmoreinterventionistandextensivestrategies
intheHighlands.Althoughthespecificmechanismsremainuncertain,anincreasingfocus
852
77 mDenham.SimonHaberle&CarolLentfer
onmajorsourcesofstarch,includingColocasiarareandEumusabananas,werecentraltothe
emergenceofagricultureintheHighlands.
Aswirhanearlierdebateconcerningarboriculture(compareKirch1989toSwadlingf frt/.
1991andYe n1996),agricultureinNewGuineawastraditionallyviewedasbeingofSoutheast
Asianorigin(e.g.Sauer1952).Thearchaeological,archaeobotanicalandpalaeoecological
fmdingsatKukcorroboratephytogeographicandgeneticinterpretationsofindependen t
plantdomesticationinMelanesiaanddemonstratethatagricultureemergedinNewGuinea
independentlyofanySouth-eastAsianinfluencebyatleast6950-6440calBP.Indeed,the
earlyHoloceneEumusasectionbananasatKuksolidifypreviousinterpretationsfortheearly
diffusionofdomesticatedplantsfromNewGuineaandtheirsubsequentinfluenceonthe
developmentofagricultureinSoutheastAsia(DeLanghe&deMaret1999:378-82)and
Africa(Mbidaetal.2000,2001).Suchfmdingsopenupnewpossibilitiesforinteraction
betweenmainlandSoutheastAsiaandNewGuineaduringtheearlyandmid-Holocene(i.e.
priorroAuscronesiandispersalintoIndo-MalaysiaandMelanesia)andrequireustorethink
theoriginsandspreadofagricultureinthePacific,SoutheastAsiaandbeyond.

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

This review of the evidence for early agriculture in New Guinea supported by new data from Kuk Swamp demonstrates that cultivation had begun there by at least 6950-6440 cal BP and probably much earlier. Contrary to previous ideas, the first farming in New Guinea was not owed to South-East Asia, but emerged independently in the Highlands. Indeed plants such as the banana were probably first domesticated in New Guinea and later diffused into the Asian continent.Recentmulti-disciplinaryinvestigation shavefilledoutprevious,largelyspeculativechronologiesofprehistoricplaneexploitation(Harri s1995)andconfirmpreviousinterpretationsthatagriculturearoseindependentlyinNewGuinea(Table3).NewmultidisciplinaryinvestigationsatKukhaveadvancedpreviousinterpretationsofprehistoricplantexploitationintheHighlandsofNewGuineaintwosignificantways.First,multi-disciplinarylinesofevidence(includingarchaeological,archaeobotanical,palaeoecologicalandstratigraphic)showthatagriculturewaspracticedintheUpperWahgiValleybyatleast6950-6440calBPandprobablymuchearlier.TheevidenceforearlierplantexploitationpracticesatKuki sinsufficientrobedefinitiveofagriculture,aspreviouslyclaimed(Golson1977a:613-5,1991a;Golson&Hughes1980;Hope&GoLson1995:824).ThetimingoftheemergenceofagricultureintheHighlandso fNewGuinearequiresclarificationthroughgreaterinterpretativeresolutionofthePhase1recordatKukandtheexcavationofadditionalsiteswithevidenceofearlyHoloceneplantexploitation.Second,agriculturemayhaveemergedintheHighlandsofNewGuineaasopposedtothelowlands.GolsonsuggestedthatagricultureoriginatedinrhelowlandsandspreadwiihexpandingpopulationsintotheHighlandsasclimatesamelioratedatthebeginningoftheHolocene(Golson1991b:88-9;Hope&Golson1995:827-8).Iti sarguedherethatagricultureemergedfrombroad-spectrumplantexploitationpracticesintheHighlandswhichhadenabledpermanentoccupationoftheinteriorduringtheLarePleistocene.Glimatic(LatePleistocene)andenvironmental(earlytomid-Holocene)forcingofexistingplantexploitationpracticesledrorhedeveiopmentofmoreinterventionistandextensivestrategiesintheHighlands.Althoughthespecificmechanismsremainuncertain,anincreasingfocus85277 mDenham.SimonHaberle&CarolLentferonmajorsourcesofstarch,includingColocasiarareandEumusabananas,werecentraltotheemergenceofagricultureintheHighlands.Aswirhanearlierdebateconcerningarboriculture(compareKirch1989toSwadlingf frt/.1991andYe n1996),agricultureinNewGuineawastraditionallyviewedasbeingofSoutheastAsianorigin(e.g.Sauer1952).Thearchaeological,archaeobotanicalandpalaeoecologicalfmdingsatKukcorroboratephytogeographicandgeneticinterpretationsofindependen tplantdomesticationinMelanesiaanddemonstratethatagricultureemergedinNewGuineaindependentlyofanySouth-eastAsianinfluencebyatleast6950-6440calBP.Indeed,theearlyHoloceneEumusasectionbananasatKuksolidifypreviousinterpretationsfortheearlydiffusionofdomesticatedplantsfromNewGuineaandtheirsubsequentinfluenceonthedevelopmentofagricultureinSoutheastAsia (DeLanghe & deMaret1999:378-82) danAfrica(Mbidaetal.2000,2001).SuchfmdingsopenupnewpossibilitiesforinteractionbetweenmainlandSoutheastAsiaandNewGuineaduringtheearlyandmid-Holosen (yaituandrequireustorethink priorroAuscronesiandispersalintoIndo-MalaysiaandMelanesia)theoriginsandspreadofagricultureinthePacific, SoutheastAsiaandbeyond.