A recent study of Prehistoric Life of Papua reveals that language and archaeological remains can spread across regions without requiring mass human migration. This research, conducted in the Papua region, highlights the fascinating intersection between two distinct cultures: the Austronesian and the Australo-Papuan. Researchers discovered that cultural diffusion often occurs through interaction rather than the physical displacement of people.
The Ancestral Roots of New Guinea
As historians know well, Austronesian speakers represent one of the primary ancestral groups that dominated Indonesia. These ethnic groups spread extensively from Southeast Asia to as far as Madagascar in Africa. Meanwhile, the Australo-Papuans (also known as Australomelanesids) serve as the original ancestors of the Papuan people. Their genetic and cultural traits remain visible today in Maluku, Nusa Tenggara, and Papua.
Published in the international journal Elsevier in 2023, the study titled “Distribution of Austronesian language and archeology in Western New Guinea, Indonesia” details these findings. Authors Erlin Novita Idje Djami and Hari Suroto, both from BRIN, explain that the Prehistoric Life of Papua involved a unique model of cultural absorption.
How Austronesian Elements Influenced the Highlands
In many instances, Austronesian cultural influences dominate the distribution of ancient sites across Papua. However, Erlin and Hari demonstrate that the Australo-Papuan culture absorbed these elements even without direct contact or migration. This indirect contact primarily occurred in the highlands, currently known as the Papua Mountains region.
Tracking this process through language proves difficult because linguistic spread does not always follow a single direction. Instead, it moves in various directions at different times. Archaeological remains, however, provide a clearer trail. This study of the Prehistoric Life of Papua suggests that not all Austronesian elements survived the migration process. Many groups lost specific cultural traits as they adapted to local environmental conditions.
Adapting to the Sahul Environment
Erlin and Hari noted that when migrants moved east of the Wallacea region, they found that planting cereals and grains did not suit the environment. Consequently, they shifted their dependence to tubers, taro, fruits, and sago. Interestingly, the Australo-Papuan people already possessed highly developed systems long before Austronesian speakers arrived.
“Australo-Papuans were very advanced; they already practiced early prehistoric agriculture in the mountains of Papua while humans in western Indonesia still relied on hunting and gathering,” explained Hari Suroto. This complex relationship between genetic, linguistic, and archaeological records defines the Prehistoric Life of Papua.
The Legacy of Cultural Exchange and Sahul
The interaction between these groups resulted in a significant cultural exchange. Austronesian speakers introduced pottery, megalithic buildings, rectangular axes, and the habit of chewing betel nut. They also brought domestic animals such as dogs, pigs, and chickens to the region.
From a biological perspective, Papua shares striking similarities with the Australian continent. During the late Pleistocene, the ancestors of Papuans and Australians interacted when sea levels reached their lowest points. These ancient explorers used canoes or rafts to reach New Guinea, Australia, and the Bismarck Archipelago.
The low sea levels created land bridges, forming a single continent known as Terra Australia (or Sahul). This land connection allowed animals and plants to disperse freely between New Guinea and Australia. Today, vertebrate fossils, such as the kangaroo jaw (Zygomaturus nimboraensis) found in Jayapura, provide concrete evidence of this shared Prehistoric Life of Papua and its connection to the Australian mainland.
