From the Desert to the Sea: Managing Rock Art, Country and Culture. This Project will expand our understanding of Aboriginal settlement and land-use in north-west Australia by investigating how the mythological narratives of Australia’s deserts enable the transmission of knowledge in water-limited environments. Combining traditional ecological knowledge and novel scientific approaches (e.g. anthracology, remote sensing, oxygen-isotopes) will provide new insights into human behaviours at rock art ....From the Desert to the Sea: Managing Rock Art, Country and Culture. This Project will expand our understanding of Aboriginal settlement and land-use in north-west Australia by investigating how the mythological narratives of Australia’s deserts enable the transmission of knowledge in water-limited environments. Combining traditional ecological knowledge and novel scientific approaches (e.g. anthracology, remote sensing, oxygen-isotopes) will provide new insights into human behaviours at rock art site complexes. It will develop management regimes and formal certification for Indigenous rangers while building heritage capacity in these partner communities: enabling intergenerational, culturally appropriate knowledge transfer protocols are in place to ensure sustainable economic heritage futures.Read moreRead less
Archaeological investigations at ancient sites in Kakadu National Park. This project aims to re-examine two well-known sites (Malangangerr and Ngarradj) in Kakadu, an iconic World Heritage area and home to some of the oldest and richest archaeology in Australia. Little excavation has been carried out there in recent decades, and almost none using modern high resolution recovery techniques. This project will re-excavate Malangangerr and Ngarradj to determine whether other sites have a similar ant ....Archaeological investigations at ancient sites in Kakadu National Park. This project aims to re-examine two well-known sites (Malangangerr and Ngarradj) in Kakadu, an iconic World Heritage area and home to some of the oldest and richest archaeology in Australia. Little excavation has been carried out there in recent decades, and almost none using modern high resolution recovery techniques. This project will re-excavate Malangangerr and Ngarradj to determine whether other sites have a similar antiquity and record of early complex behaviour. This project could enhance understanding of Aboriginal culture in Kakadu, Australia's unique cultural heritage, the nature and timing of modern human dispersal, and how early Indigenous peoples responded to social and environmental change.Read moreRead less
Enhancing cultural heritage management for mining operations: a multi-disciplinary approach. This project will apply a multi-disciplinary, research-based focus to cultural heritage management on mining leases in the Cape York region. It will improve relations between the mine operators and Indigenous Traditional Owners and allow them to strengthen connections with the past, while at the same time providing an enduring legacy for future generations.
Rockshelters and Rock Art in the River Murray Gorge: New Data and Syntheses. This project, undertaken in partnership with the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation, aims to explore Aboriginal rock art and rockshelter occupation deposits in the Upper Murray River Gorge, South Australia. The project will conduct the first archaeological excavations of stratified rockshelter sites in this region in more than 50 years and record a threatened and rapidly diminishing corpus of rock art. The c ....Rockshelters and Rock Art in the River Murray Gorge: New Data and Syntheses. This project, undertaken in partnership with the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation, aims to explore Aboriginal rock art and rockshelter occupation deposits in the Upper Murray River Gorge, South Australia. The project will conduct the first archaeological excavations of stratified rockshelter sites in this region in more than 50 years and record a threatened and rapidly diminishing corpus of rock art. The cultural importance of the located sites will be considered in conjunction with their archaeological significance to produce meaningful narratives. New understandings about Holocene societal and environmental changes will be generated. Traditional owners will benefit from a range of socio-economic capacity-building measures.Read moreRead less
Coastal Connections: dynamic societies of Australia's Northwest frontier. This project plans to use archaeology to write the first modern synthesis of Australia’s north-west: a region hosting significant cultural, natural and heritage values including two National Heritage List estates. The project plans to conduct work at significant sites and collections which will build on recent exciting archaeological and rock art discoveries and theoretical innovations to analyse the cross-cultural encount ....Coastal Connections: dynamic societies of Australia's Northwest frontier. This project plans to use archaeology to write the first modern synthesis of Australia’s north-west: a region hosting significant cultural, natural and heritage values including two National Heritage List estates. The project plans to conduct work at significant sites and collections which will build on recent exciting archaeological and rock art discoveries and theoretical innovations to analyse the cross-cultural encounters between Aboriginal people, Europeans and Asians in frontier colonial society. The project aims to provide data and tools for understanding and managing nationally-significant threatened archaeological resources valuable for future tourist industries.Read moreRead less
Ancient DNA from cave sediments: a new horizon in the archaeology of Aboriginal Australia. Archaeological cave deposits at Devil's Lair and nearby sites in south-west Western Australia document 48,000 years of occupation by the first Australians. Using ancient DNA isolated from cave sediment the project will identify the diversity of plants and animals, thereby providing new insights into past environments and Aboriginal hunter-gatherer practices.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100550
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$443,608.00
Summary
Prospecting for Australia's Submerged Landscapes through Machine Learning. This project aims to apply machine learning to image-based seabed surveys to prospect for submerged Aboriginal archaeological sites, beginning with both of Australia’s only known sites. This will be the first attempt globally to develop a technique to pinpoint potential archaeological material within large area surveys, tagging features which can then be tested through scientific diving. Expected outcomes are workflows th ....Prospecting for Australia's Submerged Landscapes through Machine Learning. This project aims to apply machine learning to image-based seabed surveys to prospect for submerged Aboriginal archaeological sites, beginning with both of Australia’s only known sites. This will be the first attempt globally to develop a technique to pinpoint potential archaeological material within large area surveys, tagging features which can then be tested through scientific diving. Expected outcomes are workflows that pair machine learning algorithms, marine robotics and scientific diving to greatly enhance prospecting efficiency. This will enhance knowledge and benefit management of these resources on Australia’s continental shelf and beyond, reducing the impacts of offshore industry on cultural heritage.Read moreRead less
Indigenous foodways in colonial Cape York Peninsula. This project aims to trace historical Indigenous foodways in colonial Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, through a program of collaborative community-based archaeological and anthropological research. Food was a key medium for cultural exchanges between Indigenous peoples and settler-colonists. The analysis of foodways is known to provide unparalleled insights on daily life, as well as the development of both cultural values and social relations ....Indigenous foodways in colonial Cape York Peninsula. This project aims to trace historical Indigenous foodways in colonial Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, through a program of collaborative community-based archaeological and anthropological research. Food was a key medium for cultural exchanges between Indigenous peoples and settler-colonists. The analysis of foodways is known to provide unparalleled insights on daily life, as well as the development of both cultural values and social relationships. This has received limited attention in archaeological investigations in Australia. Results will provide greater insight into the history behind our current society.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210101087
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$444,281.00
Summary
10,000 years of Indigenous fisheries informs future Great Barrier Reef. This project aims to document the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in shaping the fish resources of the Great Barrier Reef over millennia. Using novel analyses of archaeological faunal remains, this project expects to generate new knowledge on how people’s actions transformed marine systems and modified fish communities. Expected outcomes include establishing pre-European baseline data essential for manag ....10,000 years of Indigenous fisheries informs future Great Barrier Reef. This project aims to document the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in shaping the fish resources of the Great Barrier Reef over millennia. Using novel analyses of archaeological faunal remains, this project expects to generate new knowledge on how people’s actions transformed marine systems and modified fish communities. Expected outcomes include establishing pre-European baseline data essential for managing contemporary fish populations, and a long-term perspective on human exploitation of a dynamic Great Barrier Reef. Benefits include a framework for integrating Indigenous fisheries management into conservation agendas and foregrounding the deep human history of the Reef to support future social-ecological resilience.Read moreRead less
Naïve island landscapes: people and environmental change in tropical sclerophyll landscapes. A detailed history of how people in tropical island environments have managed environmental change will be produced for the South Wellesley Archipelago in the Gulf of Carpentaria. The outcomes will provide new insights into the dynamic relationship between people and environment during periods of climate change.