Chris Urwin Books

This multidisciplinary study examines memory's relationship with the material past through collaborative ethnoarchaeological research in Orokolo Bay, Papua New Guinea. Chris Urwin investigates how oral traditions are maintained and produced in connection with artifacts and stratigraphy. He reveals that the cultivation and construction activities in Orokolo Bay keep the community in contact with pottery sherds and layers of black sand, both of which serve as material reminders of ancestral movements and connections. The sherds evoke memories of ancestral village layouts and maritime visits from the Motu people, while the black sand recalls magical events linked to land creation. Villagers possess deep knowledge of the subsurface, considering frequently worked areas as particularly ancient, effectively engaging in their own form of "archaeology" in daily life. The book connects these community narratives to the emergence of large coastal villages in the region, which supported dense populations and elaborate masked ceremonies. Despite Sir Albert Maori Kiki's fascination with Orokolo Bay in the 1930s, the origins and development of these villages remain largely unknown. The study employs archaeological digs and radiocarbon dating to explore the evolution of key sites, particularly the migration village of Popo, where elders share ancestral knowledge and traditions. For over five centuries, Popo served as a hub for social and subs