A quest to find archaeologically significant Kilu Cave – the first known site of human occupation in the Solomon Islands archipelago and the oldest proof of Paleolithic people navigating the open ocean 30,000 years ago – led contributor Pierre Constant on a merry chase of cave discovery across Buka Island.
as a water reservoir in the past, but no longer so. It was not really accessible so Dylan suggested we could go to another cave, further inland. A fellow named Hezron resting lazily under his hut was the landowner. How far we would have to walk I did not really know, as we strolled through plantations of sweet potato, taro and cassava, continuing under a coconut grove with parrots and Solomons
M ost people visiting Bougainville will fly to Buka first, since Buka town is the capital. I had chosen to fly to Kieta-Arawa instead and travel northwards, along the east coast of Bougainville Island. The fact that the island is not a common tourist destination in PNG was my main motivation for exploration, the primary interest being my fascination for caves and underground rivers. Nevertheless, it turned out to be quite a challenging task. After a strenuous climb up to Mt Balbi (2715m) through the wet jungle, I got rather dispirited about further walks in the rainforest. At the completion of my first week on the island I caught a PMV (public bus) from the coastal village of Tinputz to Kokopau, and crossed the scenic Buka Passage in a regular banana boat. The next two weeks were to be spent on Buka Island. I happened to be the only visiting foreigner around. Stimulated by the 1987 discovery of Kilu Cave by Norwegian archaeologist Stephen Wickler, I attempted to find this large rock shelter near Malasang
village on the east coast, but nobody there knew of it. Kilu is the name used by early archaeologists of the 1970s but perhaps it’s now changed – it’s quite possible. In comparison to other old caves in the world, such as those in Madagascar, the Yucatan in Mexico, France, Borneo or even Australia – which can be many millions of years old – Kilu and other Buka caves are very young. They result from the erosion of uplifted fringing coral reefs of the Tertiary Era. Their testimony, however, is that they are the first evidence of the occurrence of man’s migration in this part of the world – before spreading across the Pacific, that is. Discovery of human occupation at Kilu Cave includes evidence of the food they consumed – from fish, rat and lizard bones to traces of taro, galip nuts and coconuts – as well as rock tools, broken pottery, perforated shark teeth and shell artefacts. Although I lucked out in finding Kilu Cave in Malasang, a man named Dylan I met there accepted to lead me to Yetsila Cave, at the base of a 40m high cliff on the seashore a
short 20-minute PMV ride north of Buka town. On arrival I could see a small stream flowing out of the cave, and women washing clothes downstream. Considering the dam at the entrance, the cave had been used
Young girls bathe at the entrance of Teama Cave
VOLUME 39 2024
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