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Which Oceanic regions made pottery before European contact?
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Oceanic art and architecture
An Aboriginal Australian decorating a tightly woven dilly bag with white, yellow, and ochre (red) paints, Northern Territory, Australia, 1948.
Before European contact, pottery production in Oceania was primarily associated with the Lapita culture, a seafaring people who settled across a vast region of the Pacific.12
Regions of Pottery Production
- Melanesia: This region contains the most extensive evidence of prehistoric pottery. The Lapita culture established itself in the Bismarck Archipelago and spread throughout the major island groups of Melanesia, including New Guinea, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu. Other distinct traditions, such as the Mangaasi culture in Vanuatu and sites on Bougainville Island, also produced ceramics.13
- Polynesia: The Lapita people carried their pottery tradition into western Polynesia, reaching Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa by 1000 BCE. However, the practice of making pottery disappeared in areas like Samoa and the Marquesas shortly after initial settlement.12
- Micronesia: Simple pottery has been identified in the western high islands, specifically Palau, the Marianas, and Yap.4