This study explores the scope for using ceramic and geochemical analyses to substantiate narratives about group origins and migrations and inter-group relationships in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. Detailed oral traditions told by communities speaking the Gadsup and Agarabi languages recount histories of movement, conflict and trade in the Arona or Yonki Valley and its surrounds. These narratives have guided field surveys of former settlements and surface collections of archaeological ceramics at a number of sites across the Arona Valley. Detailed analyses of the resulting ceramic collections provide an opportunity to establish how archaeological science and oral traditions can collaborate in the reconstruction of micro-histories. Analysis of decoration, surface characteristics and clay composition for both diagnostic and non-diagnostic sherds allows for certain distinctions to be drawn between Agarabi pottery produced in the Arona Valley and Adzera pottery traded in from the neighbouring lowland Markham Valley. This preliminary characterisation is largely supported by differences in elemental signature identified through LA-ICPMS, as well as petrography and p-XRF. The marked differences in the distribution across sites of Agarabi and Adzera wares essentially confirm the oral traditions of patterns of migration and exchange in the pre-colonial past.

本研究探讨了使用陶瓷和地球化学分析来证实有关巴布亚新几内亚东部高地的族群起源和迁徙以及族群间关系的叙述的范围。使用加德苏普语和阿加拉比语的社区讲述的详细口头传统讲述了阿罗纳或永基山谷及其周边地区的迁徙、冲突和贸易历史。这些叙述指导了对阿罗纳山谷许多地点的前定居点和考古陶瓷地表收藏的实地调查。对由此产生的陶瓷收藏品的详细分析为确定考古科学和口头传统如何在重建微观历史方面进行合作提供了机会。对诊断性和非诊断性陶片的装饰、表面特征和粘土成分进行分析，可以对阿罗纳山谷生产的 Agarabi 陶器和从邻近低地 Markham 山谷交易的 Adzera 陶器进行一定的区分。这一初步表征在很大程度上得到了通过 LA-ICPMS 以及岩相学和 p-XRF 识别的元素特征差异的支持。阿加拉比和阿泽拉器皿在不同地点分布的显着差异本质上证实了前殖民时期移民和交换模式的口头传统。