Kuk Swamp is an archaeological site located in Papua New Guinea, within the Wahgi Valley of the highlands. It is situated at an altitude of about 1,550 meters, approximately 12–13 kilometers northeast of Mount Hagen, the capital of Western Highlands Province. The swamp formed in an area that was once a lake, as it was filled with deposits of soil and rock carried by water. Evidence of early agricultural drainage systems, dating back about 9,000 years, was discovered here. These systems included three types of ditches used to transform the area into a grassland created by humans. The native crop taro was grown in this region.
Additionally, signs of banana and sugarcane cultivation were found, with activity beginning around 6,900–6,400 years ago. In 2008, Kuk Swamp was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, as one of the locations where agriculture was independently developed by humans.
Today, the Kawelka people, a tribe that speaks the Melpa language, live in the Kuk Swamp area.
History
The Kuk Creek flows across the entire fan to a collection area in the lower hills of the southern region. People built channels to move water away from the fan’s surface. If these channels were blocked, the area would turn into a swamp, and water would flow into smaller channels. Evidence of early farming drainage systems, about 9,000 years old, has been found here. Features such as pits, postholes, and narrow trenches show early farming activities like planting, digging, and tying plants to supports.
Irrigation ditches, also about 9,000 years old, were discovered at the site. A variety of plants, including taro, were grown near the edge of where crops could be grown in the highlands. These ditches are divided into three types: major disposal channels, large field ditches, and small field ditches. Major disposal channels were built to move water from the fan toward the northeast. Large and small field ditches surround planting areas and connect to major disposal channels. During this time, people at Kuk Swamp changed the landscape into a grassland created by humans, which was good for farming.
During archaeological digs, items like wooden digging tools and a grindstone were found. The ditches were cleaned, and a small trench was dug to study the layers of clay used in their construction. These layers show the ditches were built intentionally by people.
More evidence from plant remains, dating to between 6,900 and 6,400 years ago, shows bananas and sugar cane were grown at Kuk Swamp. Many banana phytoliths (tiny plant parts) were found in the swamp’s farming areas. Because bananas do not produce as many phytoliths as other plants, researchers believe the large number of banana phytoliths in the area between 6,950 and 6,550 years ago shows people planted bananas on purpose. The bananas grown there were Eumusa bananas, which became the most important group of domesticated bananas. This makes Kuk Swamp one of the earliest places where agriculture began.
The site was studied by Australian archaeologist Jack Golson.
In recognition of its importance, Kuk Swamp was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2008.