Subject
Mortuary Practices, Lapita Culture, Burials, South Vanuatu, Central Vanuatu, North Vanuatu, Synthesis, Body and Bone Treatment, Position and Orientation of the Body, Ornaments and Associated Artifacts, Use of Single or Multiple Burials, Structural Changes, Funerary System, Second Millennium AD, Omas's Genealogical Approach, Living and the Dead, Archaeology, Anthropology, Cultural Practices

Domains
Archéologie, Anthropologie, Biologie, Sciences Sociales, Sciences du vivant, Sciences humaines

Description

New discoveries and previously-unpublished data on burials from south, central, and north Vanuatu are reviewed in this paper, offering a synthesis of mortuary practices over three millennia, from Lapita to the early European contact period. Relying on five attributes describing the practices and behaviours (body and bone treatment, position and orientation of the body, ornaments and associated artefacts, and use of single or multiple burial), the analysis emphasizes two major episodes of structural changes in the overall funerary system following initial settlement of Vanuatu. The first occurred towards the end of the Lapita period and the second is indicated by the distinctiveness of the second millennium AD burials. A possible interpretation of these changes, following the lines of Thomas's 'genealogical approach' (2001) is proposed.

Keywords
Mortuary practices, Vanuatu, Southwest Pacific, Lapita, Post-Lapita, Second millennium AD

Language
English (en-GB)

Creators
Valentin Frédérique, Spriggs Matthew, Bedford Stuart , Buckley Hallie

Contributors

Sources
Journal of Pacific Archaeology, 2(2), 49-65.

Relation
http://hdl.handle.net/1885/28163

Coverage
Vanuatu, South Vanuatu, Central Vanuatu, North Vanuatu

Name of newspaper
Journal of Pacific Archaeology