Shell Valuables and Exchange Systems in New Guinea

Abstract

Abstract The New Guinea anthropological literature is rich with many examples of reciprocal exchange systems where shell valuables often hold an iconic place. This literature has frequently acted as a catalyst and starting point for archaeological enquiries that seeks to investigate the social foundations and development of such systems. This article briefly considers this relationship between archaeology and anthropology in New Guinea using three case studies—the trade of marine shells into the highlands, the kula of the Massim, and the hiri of the south coast and Papuan Gulf. There is little doubt that ethnographies have much to offer archaeologists, but in the context of shell valuables and exchange systems, this relationship can be developed further. The apparent connectedness between trading spheres has also been noted by archaeologists and anthropologists and remains fertile ground for future investigations.