Melanesian trade networks (mid-13th century)

Timeline

1. 1241–1245Trobriand Islands · Papua New GuineaKula Ring participants exchanged shell armshells (mwali) and necklaces (soulava) along fixed routes, with exchanges accompanied by feasts and song and dance—both an economic activity and a ritual sustaining prestige and alliance relations; this tradition dated to earlier periods and continued operating in this phase.
2. 1245–1250Islands of the Bismarck Sea · Papua New GuineaBeyond ceremonial gifts, practical goods such as pottery, stone axes, salt, and dried fish circulated among Melanesian islands via dugout canoe trade; exotic artifacts at archaeological sites indicate the exchange network covered the broad seas around New Guinea.