An Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Management Assessment for the Ellensbrook Catchment
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AN ABORIGINAL CULTURAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT FOR THE ELLENSBROOK CATCHMENT A Report Prepared for the National Trust of Australia and the Department of Environment and Conservation By Brad Goode & Associates Pty Ltd August 2010 AN ABORIGINAL CULTURAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT FOR THE ELLENSBROOK CATCHMENT ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors of this report would like to thank the National Trust of Australia (Alan Briggs) and the Department of Environment & Conservation (Melissa Manns) for commissioning and supporting this work. Authors: Brad Goode BA (Curtin), Jeanne Hohnen BA (UWA), Colin (Floyd) Irvine BA (Murdoch) and Angela Tarbotton Cert IV Land Management (TAFE). Assistance from the specialist scientists with regards to provision of data and interpretation of their reports is appreciated: • David Guilfoyle – Applied Archaeology Australia, • Melissa Manns - DEC Weed specialist, • Caitlin Lee Steer - DEC Fauna specialist, • Andrew Webb - DEC Flora specialist, and • Gary McMahan - Eco Systems Solutions & EMP coordinator. Assistance from DEC Ranger Ken Ninyette is appreciated. Assistance from the Department of Indigenous Affairs and the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council in identifying and contacting Aboriginal people who associate with the study area is appreciated. The authors would finally like to thank the following Nyungar people from the Harris Family WC 96/041 and South West Boojarah 2 WC 06/041 Native Title Claim groups: • Harry Nannup • Samantha Blurton (nee Nannup) • Franklin Nannup • Dorothy Blurton (nee Harris) • Jack Hill • Wayne Webb • Gloria Hill • Vilma Webb • Phil Prosser • Barbara Corbett • Mark Blurton (nee Harris) • Wendy Williams(nee Colbung) • Robert Isaacs BRAD GOODE & ASSOCIATES PAGE 1 AN ABORIGINAL CULTURAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT FOR THE ELLENSBROOK CATCHMENT CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................... 1 BACKGROUND ........................................................................... 4 THE STUDY AREA 5 ETHNOGRAPHIC BACKGROUND ........................................................ 6 TRADITIONAL NYUNGAR CULTURE AND CONNECTION TO COUNTRY 6 CUSTOMARY USE 12 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ........................................................... 16 ELLENSBROOK HISTORY 16 ABORIGINAL PEOPLE ASSOCIATED WITH ELLENSBROOK FARM AND THE BUSSELL FAMILY 18 ELLENSBROOK FARM SCHOOL 1898 - 1917 20 CHILDREN OF ELLENSBROOK FARM SCHOOL 1899 -1917 23 REGISTERED ABORIGINAL HERITAGE SITES IN THE ELLENSBROOK CATCHMENT 28 LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK 28 SITE INFORMATION 29 SITE INFORMATION RECORDING STATUS 32 DEFINING CULTURAL HERITAGE VALUES ........................................... 33 TRADITIONAL CULTURAL VALUES 34 HISTORICAL VALUES 34 ARCHAEOLOGICAL VALUES 35 SOCIAL/ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES 36 ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY CONSULTATION ......................................... 37 POLICY FRAMEWORK 37 SELECTION OF SPOKESPEOPLE 37 CONSULTATION PROCESS 38 CONSULTATION OUTCOMES - ELLENSBROOK CATCHMENT GENERAL COMMENTS 39 ABORIGINAL HERITAGE SITES PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT 40 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES 45 ABORIGINAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT PRIORITIES ................................ 49 RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................. 51 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................ 52 APPENDIX 1: .......................................................................... 59 SITE REGISTER SEARCH & MAP OF CURRENTLY REGISTERED ABORIGINAL HERITAGE SITES WITHIN THE ELLENSBROOK CATCHMENT. 59 APPENDIX 2: .......................................................................... 60 LETTERS OF ADVICE 60 APPENDIX 3: .......................................................................... 62 FAMILY OF ALFRED AND ELLEN BUSSELL 62 APPENDIX 4: .......................................................................... 63 NYUNGAR NAMES & CUSTOMARY USE OF THE FLORA & FAUNA OF THE ELLENSBROOK CATCHMENT 63 BRAD GOODE & ASSOCIATES PAGE 2 AN ABORIGINAL CULTURAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT FOR THE ELLENSBROOK CATCHMENT APPENDIX 5: .......................................................................... 64 A NYUNGAR INTERPRETATION OF THE LOWER SOUTH WEST OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA – COLLARD 1994 64 APPENDIX 6: .......................................................................... 65 PHOTOGRAPHS 65 APPENDIX 7: .......................................................................... 69 SITE RECORDING FORM – MOKIDUP SITE COMPLEX 69 LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1 PARENTAGE AND ORIGIN OF THE CHILDREN WHO WERE SCHOOLED AT ELLENSBROOK. ............................................................................................................................ 27 TABLE 2: SUMMARY OF REGISTERED ABORIGINAL HERITAGE SITES WITHIN THE ELLENSBROOK CATCHMENT ...................................................................................................... 29 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1: THE LOCATION OF THE ELLENSBROOK CATCHMENT. ............................................ 5 FIGURE 2: MAP DISPLAYING THE EXTENT OF THE ELLENSBROOK CATCHMENT. ................. 5 FIGURE 3: ELDERS DISCUSS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE ID 4657 REQUIRING REHABILITATION AND MANAGEMENT...................................................................................................................... 41 FIGURE 4: MEEKADARRIBY CAVE. ............................................................................................. 42 FIGURE 5: THE ELLEN BROOK. ................................................................................................... 43 FIGURE 6: REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NANNUP, BLURTON, AND PROSSER AND HILL FAMILIES AT ELLENSBROOK HOMESTEAD. .............................................................................. 44 FIGURE 7: ‘SKIPPY BUSH’- TEMPLETONIA RETUSA. ................................................................. 45 FIGURE 8: SOUTHERN CARPET PYTHON (MORELIA SPILOTA SUB SP IMBRICATE) ‘WOGGAL’. ..................................................................................................................................... 46 FIGURE 9: THE WEIR ON THE ELLEN BROOK. ........................................................................... 47 FIGURE 10: WEED INFESTATIONS NOW DOMINATE THE RIPARIAN ZONE OF THE ELLEN BROOK. ......................................................................................................................................... 48 FIGURE 11: A MAP SHOWING THE EXTENT OF THE MOKIDUP SITE COMPLEX AS A PRIORITY ABORIGINAL MANAGEMENT ZONE. .......................................................................... 49 FIGURE 12: SITE ID 4657 NORTH EAST OF THE ELLENSBROOK HOMESTEAD IN 1993 (WEBB FAMILY ARCHIVE). ........................................................................................................................ 65 FIGURE 13: MEMBERS OF THE BUSSELTON NYUNGAR COMMUNITY, ELLENSBROOK 1989 (WEBB FAMILY ARCHIVE). ........................................................................................................... 65 FIGURE 14: ELLENSBROOK HOMESTEAD 1979 (WEBB FAMILY ARCHIVE). ............................ 66 FIGURE 15: BUSSELL FAMILY CEMETERY, PHOTO TAKEN IN 1993 (WEBB FAMILY ARCHIVE). ....................................................................................................................................................... 66 FIGURE 16: NGILGI (ROYAL WA HISTORICAL SOCIETY REF #B1306). .................................... 67 FIGURE 17: ELLENSBROOK HOMESTEAD AND FARM IN 1909 (PHOTO BATTYE LIBRARY REF #528/388). ...................................................................................................................................... 67 FIGURE 18: CHILDREN AT ELLENSBROOK FARM SCHOOL 1902 (ABORIGINES DEPARTMENT ANNUAL REPORT AND FILE CONS 255 1902/321 IN STATE RECORDS OFFICE WA). ............ 68 BRAD GOODE & ASSOCIATES PAGE 3 AN ABORIGINAL CULTURAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT FOR THE ELLENSBROOK CATCHMENT AN ABORIGINAL CULTURAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT FOR THE ELLENSBROOK CATCHMENT A Report Prepared for the National Trust of Australia and the Department of Environment and Conservation BACKGROUND The National Trust of Australia (NTA) in partnership with the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) are proposing to produce an integrated Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for the greater Ellensbrook Catchment Area (see fig 2). The Ellensbrook Catchment area is a rich cultural landscape that contains a number of archaeological and ethnographic Aboriginal heritage sites with differing, but overlapping elements of cultural significance. This document is a ‘Cultural Heritage (ethnographic) Management Assessment’ that will integrate into the final EMP which will consider a number of expert reports from specialist disciplines that relate to Flora, Fauna, Weed Management and the Aboriginal Heritage Management disciplines of Archaeology and Anthropology. Within the final EMP each specialist discipline will present a clear plan for managing the conservation and human values identified to be present within the study area from the perspective of that discipline. Each specialist discipline will produce a report that will specifically identify the values and threats that are present within the study area and will then make specific recommendations to protect those identified values and to mitigate any threats. Each specialist discipline will map places where such values are identified to exist within the study area so that these maps can be included in the final EMP as appendices. Each