| Abstract: |
Until recently, ceramic traditions in New Guinea were reputed to be solely restricted to a few coastal regions. They may have been introduced from Southeast Asia during the Lapita period. The discovery of a traditional use of unfired clay for modelling vessel flutes in parts of the interior highlands was, therefore, regarded as the product of the cultural influence of coastal tribes, from whom clay pots had been obtained as trade goods. This paper gives an account of various other traditional uses of unfired clay by many highland tribes, and also discusses the restricted occurrence of vessel flutes made of fired clay. There are no apparent links to the ceramic traditions of the coast, which may be interpreted as suggesting an independent origin.
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