Building and Remembering: Constructing Ancestral Place at Popo, Orokolo Bay, Papua New Guinea

This thesis examines: (1) how and when large trading villages developed in the Gulf of Papua (Papua New Guinea); and (2) how local villagers remember the construction of these places today. An ancient village called Popo – located in Orokolo Bay – was used as a case study. Archaeological excavations were conducted and local stories about the place were recorded. Carbon dating revealed that Popo was occupied in the period 750-200 years ago. Locals who now cultivate the land often encounter pottery sherds and layers of black-coloured sand which are reminders of the ancestors, and help them (re-)construct ancestral stories and knowledge.