SAGO IN MELANESIA

Abstract

THIS paper combines evidence of the Oceanic distribution of sago palms, and their ethnographically reported uses as food and artifact raw material, with ethnographically reported distributions of implements used in the felling and starch extraction processes and records of artifacts in Australian, New Zealand and Papua-New-Guinean museums. Sago palms (Metroxylon spp.) are widespread in suitably swampy environments in Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea and Island Melanesia. The characteristics of the palms are discussed by Barrau (1959: 151-153) who follows the classification proposed by Beccari in 1918, but points to uncertainties in the species designations assigned. Two major groups of palms are discerned, one found in Indonesia and reaching east to the Bismarck Archipelago, the other occurring in the eastern parts of New Guinea and extending into the Caroline Islands and east as far as Samoa. The two groups thus overlap in an area roughly corresponding to Papua-New Guinea. Sago palms apparently do not occur in New Caledonia or the Loyalty Islands (Barrau, 1961:60), nor apparently on the islands of Torres Strait. Sago is not present in Australia (e.g. Golson 1971), and although, for example, Campbell (1834: 140) lists sago on Melville Island, he appears to have confused the sago palm with one of the cycads.

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