Recent results generated by the Papuan Past Project identified the major rivers of the southern lowland region of Papua New Guinea as potential early natural corridors of migration since the initial settlement of northern Sahul. Consequently, the sites and communities along the Purari River were the focus of our 2023 fieldwork. This research in the southern lowlands complements our investigations in the northern lowland region of the Sepik and in the highlands along the Wahgi valley (cf. this post), on the history of settlement and adaptation of Papua New Guinean populations.