Material perspectives: stone tool use and material culture in Papua New Guinea

Hardy, K. and Sillitoe, P. (2003) Material perspectives: stone tool use and material culture in Papua New Guinea. Internet Archaeology, 14, (doi: 10.11141/ia.14.3)

Abstract

Flaked stone tools are synonymous with prehistory to the extent that it is arguable that without these, the discipline would not exist. Yet we know relatively little about how people used them and what role they played within the material cultures of which they formed a part. The opportunity to study habitual users of flaked tools in an ethnographic context has always been limited and is now arguably non-existent. But in 1983, despite having steel tools, stone was still used for many of the everyday tasks performed by the Wola, of highland Papua New Guinea. The extensive knowledge of Wola life and material culture has afforded an opportunity to examine stone tool use within a broad material and socio-economic framework. This has provided new levels of contextual information, including the observation of habitual storage of raw material and tools despite abundant local raw material and an expedient technology; their important manufacturing role and the use of tools made from other materials in place of stone for many tasks.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Hardy, Professor Karen
• Authors: Hardy, K., and Sillitoe, P.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Archaeology
• Journal Name: Internet Archaeology
• Publisher: Council for British Archaeology
• ISSN: 1363-5387
• ISSN (Online): 1363-5387