The maritime hiri exchange system spanned up to 350 km of Papua New Guinea’s south coast, connecting ceramicist Motu with Papuan Gulf villagers who produced large quantities of sago palm (Metroxylon sagu) starch and rainforest logs. Archaeological and ethnographic evidence for the development of the hiri derives mostly from the Motu end of the exchange system. As a result, the Motu are often typecast as adventurous protagonists and Papuan Gulf peoples as passive “recipients” of specialised trade goods (pottery and shell valuables). We trace historical understandings of the hiri and outline the dynamic transformations that took place in this exchange network from the early colonial era to the mid-1950s. We introduce oral traditions recorded in Orokolo Bay in 2015 and ethnography from nearby communities which provide a Papuan Gulf lens through which to see the exchange network. Papuan Gulf peoples assert that their ancestors initiated the hiri in the cosmological past and helped maintain it through reverse-hiri (bevaia) voyages in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Inter-generational exchange partnerships were cultivated and sometimes cemented through temporary adoption. We conclude by drawing out some under-appreciated social dimensions of the hiri’s history and avenues for future research.

海上希里交换系统横跨巴布亚新几内亚南部海岸长达 350 公里，将陶艺家莫图与生产大量西米棕榈 ( Metroxylon sagu ) 淀粉和雨林原木的巴布亚湾村民联系起来。hiri发展的考古和人种学证据主要来自交换系统的 Motu 端。结果，莫图人经常被定型为冒险的主角，而巴布亚湾人民则被定型为专门贸易商品（陶器和贝壳贵重物品）的被动“接受者”。我们追溯对hiri的历史理解并概述从早期殖民时代到 20 世纪 50 年代中期这个交换网络发生的动态转变。我们介绍了 2015 年在奥罗科洛湾记录的口头传统和附近社区的民族志，这些提供了一个巴布亚湾的镜头，通过它可以看到交流网络。巴布亚湾人民断言，他们的祖先在宇宙学的过去发起了hiri ，并在 19 世纪末和 20 世纪初通过反向hiri ( bevaia ) 航行帮助维持了它。代际交流伙伴关系得到培养，有时甚至通过临时收养得到巩固。最后，我们总结了hiri历史的一些未被充分认识的社会维度和未来研究的途径。