Changing Perspectives in Australian Archaeology, Part VII. Aboriginal
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Themes in the Archaeology of Holocene Australia
THIS IS THE ACCEPTED VERSION OF THIS PAPER The final publication details are: Ulm, S. 2013 ‘Complexity’ and the Australian continental narrative: Themes in the archaeology of Holocene Australia. Quaternary International 285:182-192. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2012.03.046 The final publication is available from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1040618212002078 © 2013. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ‘Complexity’ and the Australian continental narrative: Themes in the archaeology of Holocene Australia Sean Ulm Department of Anthropology, Archaeology and Sociology, School of Arts and Social Sciences, James Cook University, PO Box 6811, Cairns, QLD 4870, Australia Email: [email protected] Telephone: +61 7 4042 1194 Facsimile: +61 7 4042 1290 Abstract Accounts of long-term cultural change in Australia have emphasised the late Holocene as the period when ‘complexity’ emerged amongst foragers in Australia, associated with increased economic productivity, reduced mobility, population growth, intensified social relations and cosmological elaboration. These reconfigurations have often been interpreted as the result of continent-wide trajectories which began in the mid-Holocene, often termed ‘intensification’. These approaches have been found wanting as they homogenise diverse records of human adaptation into a single account which inexorably leads to the ethnographic present. The archaeological record tells a rather different story with fluctuating occupational intensity and even regional abandonments featuring in well-documented archaeological records. Instead, variability documented in the ethnographic and archaeological records can be understood as a product of local adaptations reflecting the operation of historically situated systems of social organisation in diverse environmental settings. -
The Age of Australian Rock Art: a Review Michelle C
Short Reports The Age of Australian Rock Art: A Review Michelle C. Langley1 and Paul S.C. Taçon2 Abstract The growing corpus of ‘direct dates’ for rock art around the world has changed the way researchers understand rock art. ‘Direct dating’ refers to methods for obtaining chronometric ages through the dating of material directly associated with motifs, thus providing minimum, maximum or actual ages. Materials associated with rock art that may be directly dated include the original media (e.g. beeswax), organic binders found in pigment, or natural coatings (e.g. wasp nests) which can either provide a terminus ante quem or terminus post quem for art. In Australia, 432 direct dates for rock art are now available, providing the basis for developing absolute chronologies for rock art regions and specific periods within them. In this paper we review the dating results but caution against using them to derive broad interpretations, especially continent-wide narratives and global comparisons. Figure 1 Location of sites included in this analysis. Note that Native Animals (NSW) and Pete’s Chase (QLD) are not shown as location Introduction information is not available. Only five reviews of the direct dating of Australian rock art have been undertaken. Bednarik (2002) presented a critical review north and south of 18ºS respectively. Ages were not calibrated of the processes for dating rock art but did not examine the where sample materials were not reported. For the purposes of direct dating of rock art in Australia in detail. David et al. (1999) examination, ages disputed by either the initial investigators or reviewed absolute dates for rock art in southeast Cape York subsequent commentators were not considered in the analyses Peninsula, while McDonald (2000) reviewed AMS determinations below, though they are included in the regional statistics and along with methodological issues for sites in the Sydney Basin. -
The Archaeological Heritage of Christianity in Northern Cape York Peninsula
CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by ResearchOnline at James Cook University The Archaeological Heritage of Christianity in Northern Cape York Peninsula Susan McIntyre-Tamwoy Abstract For those who have worked in northern Cape York Peninsula and the Torres Strait, the term ‘coming of the light’ will have instant meaning as the symbolic reference to the advent of Christianity amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This paper explores the approaches that anthropologists and archaeologist have adopted in exploring the issues around Christianity, Aboriginal people, missions and cultural transformations. For the most part these disciplines have pursued divergent interests and methodologies which I would suggest have resulted in limited understandings of the nature and form of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity and a lack of appreciation of the material culture that evidences this transformation. Through an overview of some of the work undertaken in the region the paper explores the question ‘Can we really understand contemporary identity and the processes that have led to its development without fully understanding the complex connections between place and people and historical events and symbolic meaning, in fact the ‘social landscape of Aboriginal and Islander Christianity.’ This paper was presented in an earlier form at the Australian Anthropological Society 2003 Annual Conference held in Sydney. KEYWORDS: Archaeology, Christian Missions, Cape York Peninsula Introduction dominated profession, are squeamish about the impact of western religions on indigenous culture. In this paper I consider the overlap between • Thirdly, given that historical archaeology in Australia anthropological enquiry and archaeology in relation to has been heavily reliant on the investigation of built the Christian Mission period in the history of Cape York structures (Paterson & Wilson 2000:85) the nature of Peninsula. -
Australian Archaeology
Australian Archaeology Archived at Flinders University: dspace.flinders.edu.au Full Citation Details: Momood, M. 1978. Ken's Cave and the art of Central-Western Queensland. 'Australian Archaeology', no.8, 22-31. KEN'S CAVE AND THE ART OF CENTRAL-WESTERN QUEENSLAND M. Momood Abstract A date has been obtained for engraved art at a site in central- western Queensland. This may have more general implications for the art of the area. Ken's Cave is a rock-shelter located near the crest of the Great Divide, between the Barcoo and Belyando drainage systems, in central-western Queensland. It occurs at the base of a sandstone cliff of the Precipice Series, and from it a slope of large sandstone blocks descends to a forested sand flat. Here vegetation is predominantly of Black Wattle (Acacia cunninghamii) . Narrow-leaved iron-bark woodland (EucaZyptus drepmrophyZZa) is found beyond this on the steep slope down to undulating flats. These are dominated by communities of brigalow regrowth (A. hrpophyZZa) , brigalow-blackbutt forest (A. kpophyZZa-E. cumbagema), silver-leaved iron-bark woodland (E. meZanophZoia) , and poplar box grassy woodlands (E. popuznea) . The present property-owner knows of no water-source close to the site. The site measures 13 by 7 m, with a maximum height at the drip- line of 6 m. It faces due west (Fig.1). An occupation deposit is evident at the drip-line, where ash, charcoal, stone tools and bone have been exposed by erosion, and are slumping down a steep, poorly consolidated scarp of sand and talus. A grindstone was also found in situ. -
Another Snapshot for the Album: a Decade of Australian Archaeology in Profile Survey Data
ResearchOnline@JCU This is the Accepted Version of a paper published in the Journal Australian Archaeology: Mate, Geraldine, and Ulm, Sean (2016) Another snapshot for the album: a decade of Australian Archaeology in Profile survey data. Australian Archaeology, 82 (2). pp. 168-183. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03122417.2016.1213032 Another Snapshot for the Album: A Decade of Australian Archaeology in Profile Survey Data Geraldine Matea,b and Sean Ulmb a Cultures and Histories Program, Queensland Museum Network, South Brisbane, QLD, Australia b College of Arts, Society and Education, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia Abstract A comprehensive survey of Australian professional archaeologists undertaken in 2015 is used to explore key aspects and emerging trends in the state of the archaeological profession in Australia. Comparisons are made with data collected using the same survey instrument in 2005 and 2010 to allow consideration of longer-term disciplinary trends related to working conditions, changing participation and access, trends in qualifications and workplace confidence and re-evaluating skills gaps identified in previous surveys. Substantial changes in the archaeological workplace are identifiable with deterioration in employment conditions and an increasingly casualised workforce, contrasting with a growth in professionalisation observed through an increasingly qualified workforce. Restructuring of the discipline observed in previous surveys, showing increases in Indigenous archaeology and a corresponding decrease in other subfields, are less pronounced. Survey data demonstrate the Australian archaeological workforce to be a highly qualified discipline by world standards but also a discipline that is being reshaped by downsizing of government regulation of heritage issues and volatility in the private sector related to external economic factors. -
Positions, and Serve but to Mislead Those Who, Ill Search of Such Information, Should Draw Conclusions from Them
550 SUPERSTITION.-EVIL SPIRIT. - AMULETS. positions, and serve but to mislead those who, ill search of such information, should draw conclusions from them. The Buperstition of the Bachapins, for it cannot be called reli gion, is of the weakest and most absurd kind; and, as before re marked -, betrays the low state of their intellect. These people have no outward worship, nor, if one may judge from their never alluding to them, any private devotions; neither could it be dis covered that they possessed any very defined or exalted notion of a supreme and beneficent Deity, or of a great and first Creator. Those whom I questioned, asserted that every thing made itself; and that trees and herbage grew by their own will. Although they do not worship a good Deity, they fear a bad one, whom they name Mulzimo (Mooleemo), a word which my interpreter translated by the Dutch word for Devil j and are ready to attribute to his evil dis position and power, all which happens contrary to their wishes or convenience. How degraded a condition of the human heart, bow deplorable a degree of ignorance of itself and of its final cause, does this pic ture exhibit! But it may, perhaps, be more common than we suspect. Instead of turning with cheerful gratitude towards the Author and Giver of all good, they forget to be thankful for what they receive, and think only of what is withheld j they consider Beneficence as dormant; and are insensible to the sun "rhich daily shines upon tllem, while they behold no active spirit but l\lalignity, and feel only the passing storm. -
Ucp013-012.Pdf
INDEX* Titles of papers in bold face. Achomawi, 264, 267, 268, 283, £92, Arrow release, 120-122, 272, 334, 388. 293, 296, 299, 301, 314, 315, 320; Arrows and bullets, comparison, 373. basketry, 272. Aselepias, 281. Achomawi language, radical elements, Ash, used for bows, 106. 3-16; verb stems, secondary, 18; Astronomy, 323. suffixes, local, 19-21; pronouns, Athabascan groups, 313, 319, 326; 25-26; phonology, 28-33. bow, 336. Acknowledgments, 69. Atsugewi, 268, 293. Acorns, storage of, 282. Atsugewi language, radical elements, lAdiantum, in basketry, 273. 3-16; suffixes, local, 20; other Adolescence ceremony, girls', 306, verb and noun suffixes, 23; phon- 311-313, 314. ology, 28-33. boys', 314. Badminton, 350, 351, 355, 357, 358. African bow, 343, 384. Balsa (tule balsa, rush raft), 267, Alaskan bow, 338, 380. 268-269. Alcatraz island, 50. Bannerman, Francis, 350. Algonkin groups, 326. Barnes, bow maker, 356. Amelanchier alnifolia (serviceberry), Barton, R. F., 390. 361. Basket, "canoe," 250; as granary, Andaman islands, bow, 343, 384. 282-283. Anderson, R. A., quoted, 42, 44, 45, Basketry, complexes, 272; character- 47, 52-53. istics of, among the tribal groups, Apache bow, 340, 382; arrow, 382. 272-275; materials and tech- Apocynum cannabinum, 281. niques, 273-275; types: bottle- Archery, rounds in: English or York, neck, 273; coiled, 250, 263, 273, 123; American, 123; English, 332, 274; twined, 263, 272-273. See 351. also under names of tribes. Archery, Yahi, 104. Basketry cap, woman 's, 262-263; cap Armor, 299, 357. and hopper, 273; leggings, 262; Arrowheads, plates showing, opp. 103, moccasin, 262; traps, 248. -
Problems with Radiometric "Time": Dating the Initial Human Colonization of Sahul
PROBLEMS WITH RADIOMETRIC "TIME": DATING THE INITIAL HUMAN COLONIZATION OF SAHUL R. ESMEE WEBS Yamaji Language Centre, P.O. Box 433, Geraldton, WA 6531 Australia 14C ABSTRACT. Until recently, the only chronometric technique applied to Sahulian archaeological sites was dating; the ages obtained rarely exceeded 40,000 BP. Belief that the region was first colonized around that time has recently been shaken by luminescence dates from several archaeological sites in northern Australia that suggest people arrived between 60,000 and 55,000 BP. The ensuing debate over their validity revealed that some participants misunderstood luminescence dating and the temporal limitations of 14C dating, illustrated here through a discussion of the tempo and mode of Sahulian colonization. Radi- ometric techniques cannot distinguish between the models proposed because they are unable to resolve temporal issues that occur within their limits of error. INTRODUCTION Sahul, the enlarged landmass shown in Figure 1, comprises New Guinea, Australia and Tasmania (White and O'Connell 1982). It existed during periods of eustatically lowered sea level. Island southeast Asia also formed an enlarged landmass during glacials, called Sundaland. Sahul has always been isolated from Sundaland by water barriers that form a major biogeographic divide, sep- arating Sahulian marsupial faunas from Asian placental faunas (Wallace 1860). Even during glacial maxima, movement between Sundaland and Sahul by non-volant terrestrial animals entailed the successful passage of extensive stretches of open water. The only genera known to have crossed this barrier unaided are rodents, notoriously opportunistic colonists, and humans. Determining when people first reached Sahul is important because it helps to establish when humans first displayed "modern" behavior (Davidson and Noble 1992). -
Australian Natural History T H E AWARD WINNING ��V /�'1�
Australian Natural History T H E AWARD WINNING ��V /�'1� V) � 4 W I L D L I F E '·· ; � • S E R I E s Experienceall the danger, excitementand adventureof life in the wild! • Rare and archival footage • First class narrators, including Peter Ustinov, Orson Welles, David Niven and Henry Fonda. • Endangered species • Superb photography • A living library of natural history to delight all ages! Also available in this series: • Sharks • Gorilla • Tiger • Cameraman • Orangutan • Safariby Balloon • Lions of Estosha • Humpbacks • Elephants • Flight of the Snowgeese • The Parenthood Game • Come into my Parlour • World of the Beaver • The Leopard that changed its spots • Subtle as a Serpent • Eagle Come Home • Killer Whale • The Winged Messenger • The World you never see • The Waterhole Available from all leading retailers and video stores VIDEO SELECTION SURVIVAL ANGLIA A U I T Ill A l I A Ltfflllf'd E D I T O ll I A L ANHAustralian Natural History GARBAGE:A Spring 1990 Volume 23 Number6 GROWING CONCERN Published by The Australian Museum Trust BY FIONA DOIG 6-8 College Street, EDITOR Sydney, NSW 2000 Phone: (02) 339 8111 Trust President: Robyn Williams NEVER REALISED HOW MUCH RUBBISH sound rubbish when these are full? And Museum Director: Desmond Griffin Australians accumulate until I visited existing sites in Sydney have an esti EDITOR East Africa. Things like takeaway food mated life expectancy until only 1997. I Fiona Doig packagingI and plastic bags are rare luxu can imagine the outcries from residents SCIENTlFIC EDITOR ries. Old tyres are custom-made into that don't want the new garbage sites in Georgina Hickey, B.Sc. -
Wintjer and SUMMER ANCE SERIES'
:t WINNTjER AND SUMMER ANCE SERIES' IN ZUF4 I",N 1918: By .,,,ELSIE CLEWS PARSONS UNIVIERSITY OF CALFORNA PUB-iCATIONS ZIs AMPRI(AI LARcTiAEOLOGY AND.E"NOLOGY. VOl 17, No. 3; PP. 171-216 E; r ,7,N UNIVERSITY ,OF CA4.AFORN1A,PE ;ER CALIFORNIA UN-VERSITY OF CALIFGORNA PUBLICATIONS TDEP.ARTENT- OP ANTHROPOLOGY - e following publica1iiona dealingwitSh&rchaeogical and etbllIogical subjcssed : nder the direition of-th Department of Athrpoogyare sen ii ech;ang fobhes publ- cations of anth log'cal 0daents and museus, add. for jouraLs &evoed to general anthropology or to archaolog edetiology. They arek for sale at the prices ttaed.- .Exchan.ges should be'lrectd to The Ebha4ge Deptn U ty ibry, Berleley eCalifia, U. S. A. All eorderssand rextances sould be addessed to the Universi of califoa Press." AM RICAN ARCHAZOLOGY A"P ETHNOLOGY.-A,'. E:iober, -Editr. PriCS :-Volume ll, $4.25; Volumes 2 -ot11, Inclusive :$3.50 eacb; Volue :12 ad followin,- $5.00 each. Ci-Oted.- aF---Unbiv. L tPubL Am.-Arch- Ethn : , e VoL 1. i. Life and- & u1re of t Hupa, by P3?ny arle Goddr. Pp. 1%8, plates 19031I30.Sepe _.. ....... .......... ....$1.2 >f2. UipaWexta by Pliny Eazle Goddd.. Pp. 89-368. March, 1904 ,....- . 3.00 Index, pp. 369478. 0 - VoL 2. 1. The Exploration of the Potter Crtek Cave, by William J. Sinclair. P. --..2--; plates 1-14. April, 1904Ar -- .40 2. The Languages of the oastof CAliforni South o-a Fnc1isc0o by A. L. Kroeborer. Pply.,29-8- wth a map. June, 1904 .. ..... so 3.' typesof Indian cult1*6in orni, by A. -
Historical Archaeology in Australia: Historical Or Hysterical? Crisis Or Creative Awakening?
AUSTRALASIAN HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY, 17, 1999 Historical Archaeology in Australia: Historical or Hysterical? Crisis or Creative Awakening? RICHARD MACKAY and GRACE KARSKENS This paper explores the current state andfuture prospects ofhistorical archaeology in Australia and takes as its starting points issues raised in Graham Connah's 1998 paper 'Pattern and purpose in historical archaeology '. Connah presents a rather narrow version ofhistorical archaeology as a fading 'scholarly discipline' anchored in academia. His assertion that 'a discipline consists very largely ofits body ofpublished material'fails to recognise the growing contribution ofotherforms ofpublic archaeology in Australia in the late twentieth century. We show that recent developments - the dialogue emerging between history and archaeology, the new publications and other media, interestfrom the wider community and recent academic appointments in the discipline - provide a counter-viewpoint and cause for optimism. In revisiting Connah 's main issues from these perspectives, some ofthe real problems and challenges facing the discipline and the profession are also explored. As we peek from behind our piles ofconsultant reports, across massive downsizing, recent new appointments have been made the threshold ofa new millenium, we see historical archaeology in historical archaeology at La Trobe (Melbourne), Flinders in Australia has at last become 'historical' through a new (Adelaide), James Cook (Townsville), Western Australia engagement with history, and has begun to deliver worthwhile (Perth) and Northern Territory University (Darwin). From this and meaningful knowledge to an eager and interested perspective, historical archaeology appears to be doing rather community. better than many other disciplines. It has not so much Withered Some of the work appearing now is at last answering away as moved on. -
Indigenous Archaeology: Historical Interpretation from an Emic Perspective
University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Nebraska Anthropologist Anthropology, Department of 2010 Indigenous Archaeology: Historical Interpretation from an Emic Perspective Stephanie M. Kennedy Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nebanthro Part of the Anthropology Commons Kennedy, Stephanie M., "Indigenous Archaeology: Historical Interpretation from an Emic Perspective" (2010). Nebraska Anthropologist. 55. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nebanthro/55 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Anthropology, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Nebraska Anthropologist by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Indigenous Archaeology: Historical Interpretation from an Emic Perspective Stephanie M. Kennedy Abstract: This inquiry explores indigenous archaeology as a form of resistance to dominant Western science. Literature was identified and analyzed pertaining to the success of indigenous archaeology in the United States, British Columbia, and Australia. It is argued that a more inclusive archaeology is necessary, one that encourages partnerships with Indigenous groups in the interpretation oftheir own past. This study has implications for how we perceive Indigenous peoples from an archaeological perspective. Introduction Smith and Jackson remind us of the contextual nature of interpretation as well as the importance of the past: The shards of the past insinuate themselves into what we see, and don't see, value, and don't value, subtly informing every gaze, every movement, every decision. The privileges we enjoy, or don't enjoy, the inequities we fail to notice, or rail against, are the individual legacies of our shared pasts.