Ritually breaking Lapita pots: or, can we get into the minds of Oceanic first settlers? A discussion

One of the striking characteristics of Lapita archaeology during the past century has been the very limited number of preserved whole or nearly whole pots found in excavations. This appears odd for ceramics mostly interpreted in the scientific literature as non-utilitarian and carrying social or rit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archaeology and physical anthropology in Oceania 2013-04, Vol.48 (1), p.2-12
Main Authors: Sand, Christophe, Marshall, Yvonne, Sheppard, Peter, Spriggs, Matthew, Chiu, Scarlett
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Archaeological excavation
archaeological interpretation
Archaeology
Cemeteries
Ceramics
Ceremonial objects
Ceremonies
Comparative analysis
Cults, religions and funeral rites
Decorative ceramics
Ethnography
Ethnology and art
Indigenous peoples
Lapita
Lapita culture
Methodology and general studies
Mourning rituals
Oceania
Oceania studies
Pacific archaeology
Pacific Ocean region: History
Pottery
pottery breaking
prehistoric rituals
Prehistory and protohistory
Rites and ceremonies
Rites, ceremonies and celebrations
Ritual
Rituals
Studies
Tattooing
Typology, technology and attribute analysis
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Summary:One of the striking characteristics of Lapita archaeology during the past century has been the very limited number of preserved whole or nearly whole pots found in excavations. This appears odd for ceramics mostly interpreted in the scientific literature as non-utilitarian and carrying social or ritual symbolism. The clear connection between dentate-stamped pots and complex burial rituals at the Teouma site (Vanuatu), along with studies on pottery breakage carried out in other parts of the world, allows the canvassing of a theoretical model that explains the apparent absence of logic in finding numerous Lapita pots reduced to small potsherds. By positioning the analysis in a framework relying on the specific behaviour of Pacific Islanders regarding the "invisible" and by using ethnographic Melanesian rituals as examples of how "natural forces" can be controlled, this paper proposes a hypothetical reconstruction of one of the possible ceremonies that may have been practiced by Oceanic explorers in newly settled islands.
ISSN:0728-4896
0003-8121
1834-4453
DOI:10.1002/arco.5006