Intensification and social complexity in the interior lowlands of Papua New Guinea: A comparison of Bedamuni and Kubo

Kubo and Bedamuni are linguistically, culturally, and technologically relat ed societies of the interior lowlands of Papua New Guinea. They occupy simi lar environments and have access to essentially the same resources. They di ffer in population density (Kubo 0.4 people/km(2), Bedamuni 7/km(2)) subsis tence orientation (Kubo are hunter-gatherer-like, Bedamuni are farmers who hunt) and intensification of plant food production (Kubo lower, Bedamuni hi gher). Relative to Kubo, Bedamuni are shown to exhibit increased differenti ation within and between production units, greater integration within and b etween residential units, and heightened forms of evaluation within and bet ween cultural systems. Each of these general characteristics is illustrated by particulars that refer, for example, to role differentiation, rights of access to land and resources, dispute resolution, mechanisms of inter-comm unity cohesion, and exegesis with respect to subsistence practices and cult ural identity. In turn, differences between the two societies in terms of t hese general characteristics sustain an interpretation that Bedamuni is a s ocially more complex society than Kubo. The awkward notion of complexity is examined; it is understood to comprise two independent dimensions-the "inv olvement of parts" (which is itself multidimensional) and the "individuatio n of form." The latter dimension has received too little attention in discu ssion and definitions of complexity. (C) 1998 Academic Press.