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7 The Horticultural Context
or sterile though human manipulations can only survive through continual human
intervention. The survival of plants like the banana and breadfruit has depended on
thousands of years of just such continuous intervention.
Plant domestication is a worldwide phenomenon but there are varying degrees of
sophistication involved in different parts of the world and amongst different peoples.
The level of Spice Island sophistication, domesticating experience and horticultural
awareness appear to have been unusually high. Spice Islanders, as we have demonstrated, had a correspondingly high degree of maritime sophistication, experience
and awareness. We argue that the combination of skills in these two areas made
possible their role as explorers and colonizers of the Pacific. It also made possible their role as transoceanic horticultural traders, trading spices internationally for
possibly 6,000 years and, we shall suggest in the next chapter, conceivably trading
American plants to India through two oceans over a period of 2,600 years.
7.2 Lapita Pottery
The discovery of pottery at Lapita in New Caledonia in 1952 gave the Lapita people
their name. The importance of pottery in their culture fits well with the prehistory we
propose for the Lapita peoples as descendants of Spice Island maritime spice traders.
Pottery and trading go hand in hand. In the Mediterranean, marine archaeologists
discover ancient shipwrecks by the outline formed on the ocean floor by hundreds
of clay amphorae that the ships once carried as cargo, containers for the olive oil
and wine being traded. Ancient ceramic workshops are found near Mediterranean
harbours. The huge storage jars found in the palace of Knossos in Crete once stored
wine and oil; some may represent tribute from vassal states. The Lapita ceramic tradition accords with the Spice Islanders’ role as spice traders. If precious spices were
transported over long distances in outriggers lying low enough in the water to be
paddled, they would have been continuously exposed to wave splash and spindrift.
Pottery jars would have been needed for their safe transport. The elaborately decorated early Lapita pots would have been especially appropriate for luxury trades
involving spices and plumes.
Wooden and bamboo storage containers and gourds were probably used for very
early local and regional sago, spice and plume trading. But these containers may
well have proved inadequate for long-distance trading and international spice and
plume trading. By 6,000 years ago when there is evidence of long-distance and
international coastal trading from the region, we might expect to find pottery associated with the luxury plume and spice trade. Swadling draws attention to incised
and applique pottery from Dudumunir cave in Irian Jaya, comparable to the 5,000
BP pottery in Timor. She implies that it is possible that the Dudumunir pottery
was made for the luxury plume trade, though it predates decorated Lapita pottery
by 1,500 years. Earlier undecorated pottery may have preceded this later decorated
ware. Possibly, ancient trading links with Japan 6,000–7,000 years ago, made possible by the increased warmth of the West Pacific Warm Pool, may have led to
7 The Horticultural Context
or sterile though human manipulations can only survive through continual human
intervention. The survival of plants like the banana and breadfruit has depended on
thousands of years of just such continuous intervention.
Plant domestication is a worldwide phenomenon but there are varying degrees of
sophistication involved in different parts of the world and amongst different peoples.
The level of Spice Island sophistication, domesticating experience and horticultural
awareness appear to have been unusually high. Spice Islanders, as we have demonstrated, had a correspondingly high degree of maritime sophistication, experience
and awareness. We argue that the combination of skills in these two areas made
possible their role as explorers and colonizers of the Pacific. It also made possible their role as transoceanic horticultural traders, trading spices internationally for
possibly 6,000 years and, we shall suggest in the next chapter, conceivably trading
American plants to India through two oceans over a period of 2,600 years.
7.2 Lapita Pottery
The discovery of pottery at Lapita in New Caledonia in 1952 gave the Lapita people
their name. The importance of pottery in their culture fits well with the prehistory we
propose for the Lapita peoples as descendants of Spice Island maritime spice traders.
Pottery and trading go hand in hand. In the Mediterranean, marine archaeologists
discover ancient shipwrecks by the outline formed on the ocean floor by hundreds
of clay amphorae that the ships once carried as cargo, containers for the olive oil
and wine being traded. Ancient ceramic workshops are found near Mediterranean
harbours. The huge storage jars found in the palace of Knossos in Crete once stored
wine and oil; some may represent tribute from vassal states. The Lapita ceramic tradition accords with the Spice Islanders’ role as spice traders. If precious spices were
transported over long distances in outriggers lying low enough in the water to be
paddled, they would have been continuously exposed to wave splash and spindrift.
Pottery jars would have been needed for their safe transport. The elaborately decorated early Lapita pots would have been especially appropriate for luxury trades
involving spices and plumes.
Wooden and bamboo storage containers and gourds were probably used for very
early local and regional sago, spice and plume trading. But these containers may
well have proved inadequate for long-distance trading and international spice and
plume trading. By 6,000 years ago when there is evidence of long-distance and
international coastal trading from the region, we might expect to find pottery associated with the luxury plume and spice trade. Swadling draws attention to incised
and applique pottery from Dudumunir cave in Irian Jaya, comparable to the 5,000
BP pottery in Timor. She implies that it is possible that the Dudumunir pottery
was made for the luxury plume trade, though it predates decorated Lapita pottery
by 1,500 years. Earlier undecorated pottery may have preceded this later decorated
ware. Possibly, ancient trading links with Japan 6,000–7,000 years ago, made possible by the increased warmth of the West Pacific Warm Pool, may have led to