Prehistoric Hunting Strategies in New Ireland, Papua New Guinea: The Evidence of the Cuscus (Phalanger orientalis) Remains from Buang Merabak Cave

dc.contributor.author Leavesley, Matthew G.
dc.date.accessioned 2010-08-04T19:53:51Z
dc.date.available 2010-08-04T19:53:51Z
dc.date.issued 2005
dc.description.abstract The cuscus, Phalanger orientalis, was probably the most important food source in New Ireland from its introduction 20,000 years ago until the introduction of the pig, Sus scrofa, 3500 years ago. Terrestrial, or land-based, fauna were an essential part of the prehistoric diet because they provided both protein and fat, which were often difficult to obtain from marine resources alone. P. orientalis was an important prey species because New Ireland had a relatively low range of prey taxa. Prior to 20,000 B.P., the New Ireland fauna were relatively meager: the potential terrestrial prey taxa for prehistoric hunters included bats, rats, birds, and reptiles. The introduction of the cuscus dramatically increased the number of individual animals and therefore expanded the island-based protein resource available to prehistoric hunters. This paper investigates the nature of the late Pleistocene to Holocene capture of P. orientalis based on data from Buang Merabak, a central New Ireland cave site, and investigates whether prehistoric hunters captured P. orientalis of a particular age and how this changed over time. KEYWORDS: Pleistocene, hunting strategies, Phalanger orientalis, cuscus, New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea.
dc.identifier.citation Leavesley, M. G. 2005. Prehistoric Hunting Strategies in New Ireland, Papua New Guinea: The Evidence of the Cuscus (Phalanger orientalis) Remains from Buang Merabak Cave. Asian Perspectives 44 (1): 207-18.
dc.identifier.issn 1535-8283 (E-ISSN)
dc.identifier.issn 0066-8435 (Print)
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10125/17231
dc.publisher University of Hawai'i Press (Honolulu)
dc.relation.ispartofseries Volume 44
dc.relation.ispartofseries Number 1
dc.subject Pleistocene
dc.subject hunting strategies
dc.subject Phalanger orientalis
dc.subject cuscus
dc.subject New Ireland Province
dc.subject Papua New Guinea
dc.subject.lcsh Prehistoric peoples--Asia--Periodicals.
dc.subject.lcsh Prehistoric peoples--Oceania--Periodicals.
dc.subject.lcsh Asia--Antiquities--Periodicals.
dc.subject.lcsh Oceania--Antiquities--Periodicals.
dc.subject.lcsh East Asia--Antiquities--Periodicals.
dc.title Prehistoric Hunting Strategies in New Ireland, Papua New Guinea: The Evidence of the Cuscus (Phalanger orientalis) Remains from Buang Merabak Cave
dc.type Article
dc.type.dcmi Text
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