Early agriculture in New Guinea and the Torres Strait divide

Antiquity ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 69 (265) ◽  
pp. 848-854 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Harris

The high and low islands of Torres Strait, scattered between the tip of Queensland and the coast of Papua New Guinea, make a unique frontier in later world prehistory: between a continent of hunter-gatherers and the majority world of cultivators. Consideration of just what archaeology there is in the Torres Strait Islands, and of its date, improve on the conventional question: was the Strait a bridge or a barrier?

1990 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-288
Author(s):  
M.M. Stevens

AbstractThe genus Mitelloides Evans is revised. Three species are recognised and described; M. moaensis Evans (the type species) and two new species, M. thorntonensís and M. mouldsi. A key to the males of the genus is provided, and the known distributions of all species are mapped. The genus is known only from north-east Queensland, the Torres Strait Islands, and Papua New Guinea.


2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gillian Boulton-Lewis ◽  
Hitendra Pillay ◽  
Lynn Wilss ◽  
David Lewis

Health is considered to be a fundamental human right and developing a better understanding of health is assumed to be a global social goal (Bloom, 1987). Yet many third-world countries and some sub-populations within developed countries do not enjoy a healthy existence. The research reported in this paper examined the conceptions of health and conceptions of illness for a group of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and Papua New Guinea university students studying health science courses. Results found three conceptions of health and three conceptions of illness that indicated these students held a mix of traditional/cultural and Western beliefs. These findings may contribute to overcoming the dissonance between traditional and Western beliefs about health and the development of health care courses that are more specific to how these students understand health. This may also serve to improve the educational status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and potentially improve the health status within these communities.


2004 ◽  
Vol 70 ◽  
pp. 259-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. P. Denham ◽  
J. Golson ◽  
P. J. Hughes

Multi-disciplinary field investigations were undertaken in 1972–7 and 1998–9 at Kuk Swamp in the upper Wahgi Valley in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. Multi-period finds dating from the early Holocene to the recent past and interpreted to represent human manipulation of a wetland margin for plant exploitation were documented. The archaeological remains dating from the early to mid-Holocene have partially grounded contested claims for the emergence of early and independent agricultural practices on the island of New Guinea. In this paper, the early to mid- Holocene archaeological remains at the site (ie, those allocated to Phases 1, 2, and 3) are reported in detail. The authors of this paper all agree that plant exploitation began at Kuk at c. 10,000 cal BP, however they hold different interpretations of the archaeological evidence from the swamp, which have in turn led to diverse claims for the antiquity of agriculture in New Guinea by at least c. 10,000 cal BP (Golson and Hughes), or by at least 6950–6440 cal BP (Denham). Divergent readings of the archaeological remains are presented at length in order to clarify the evidential bases for the varying claims and to promote future discussion.


1997 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1375-1386 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Marsh ◽  
A. N. M. Harris ◽  
I. R. Lawler

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Busilacchi ◽  
James Butler ◽  
Ingrid Van Putten ◽  
Yiheyis Maru ◽  
Joseph Posu

While there is much theoretical study of the evolution of border disparities, there is little empirical analysis of development asymmetries across border regions, and their causes or solutions. Often disparities among countries hinder the ability of transboundary agreements and other development initiatives to generate sustainable development. This study quantifies development progress amongst communities in Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) covered by the Torres Strait Treaty, 26 years after its inception. Using regional census data from 2011 we found contrasting patterns of human development, with markedly poorer education levels in PNG. This asymmetry was confirmed by a Human Development Index of 0.735 for the Torres Strait and 0.270 for the neighbouring province in PNG. From a survey of 1089 PNG households in 2012–2013 we calculated that 63% of people in the villages were multidimensional poor, and 28% were ‘vulnerable to poverty’. Poverty was positively correlated with poor health, which has implications for the control of tuberculosis in the region. While Treaty provisions may have reduced poverty amongst some PNG villages closest to Australian communities, development initiatives by Ok Tedi mine in compensation for its environmental impacts have not. Our study highlights the causes of the sustainable development gap between PNG and Australian communities, and the necessity for transboundary agreements and institutions to have the capacity to adapt to their unintended consequences and rapid global change.


2022 ◽  
pp. 13-16
Author(s):  
Richard A. I. Drew ◽  
Meredith C. Romig

Abstract This chapter presents the classification of the dacine fauna of Papua New Guinea and associated biogeographical territories into two genera, Bactrocera Macquart (with 21 subgenera) and Dacus Fabricius (with three subgenera). These include the subgenus Diplodacus May, which occurs in north-eastern Australia and the Torres Strait Islands. A key to genera and subgenera recorded in the Australian-Pacific Region is provided.


2013 ◽  
Vol 199 (9) ◽  
pp. 576-577 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J Hall ◽  
James A Gillespie ◽  
Alexander Rosewell ◽  
Pilly Mapira

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