Preliminary Report on Survey of Mounds in Awaiama, Miline Bay Province, Papua New Guinea

NAKAKADO Ryota1*, Kenneth Miamba2, NEGISHI Yo3, and ONO Eisuke4

This paper presents preliminary results from a Japan-Papua New Guinea collaborative survey of mound features in Awaiama, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. Recent archaeological research along the northern coast of mainland Papua New Guinea and nearby islands has documented large earthen mounds and megalithic monuments dating to around 1500 A.D. It suggests the possibility of locally complex chiefdom like society prior to the ethnographic period. We identified multiple mound-like features in Awaiama and planned to conduct an initial assessment of their morphology and landscape settings. These surveys provide a foundation for selecting targets for future excavation. Based on surface observations and regional comparisons, the features may represent funeral mound contexts broadly comparable to site such as Lainu (Wanigela, Northern Province), previously excavated by Egloff. If confirmed from excavation, the Awaiama mounds would offer an important new case study for reconstructing late prehistoric social change in the Massim region. This project aims to clarify social transformation over the past 1000 years through integrated survey, excavation and material analysis. Geoarchaeological approaches will also be applied to examine site formation processes and construct local environmental history, providing a robust framework for evaluating models of sociopolitical changes.