Harry Allen

The Bagundji of the darling basin: Cereal gatherers in an uncertain environment

Abstract Until the 1880s the semi‐arid Darling River Basin, in western New South Wales, was inhabited by Aborigines belonging to the Bagundji linguistic group. The Bagundji economy was primarily riverine in character based on the collection of aquatic foods and wild cereals. Seasonal variations in their subsistence activities can be related to seasonal variations in the productivity of their habitat. Despite a long period of association with wild cereals, the Bagundji remained hunters and gatherers and apparently made no attempt to cultivate these cereals. Possible reasons for this are examined. No simple explanation can be put forward to explain either the specific problem of the absence of agriculture from the Darling River Basin or the general problem of the absence of agriculture from Aboriginal Australia as a whole.

Burkes Cave and Flaked Stone Assemblage Variability in Western New South Wales, Australia

Abstract In 1970, Harry Allen excavated a small section of creek terrace adjacent to Burkes Cave in the Scope Range of western New South Wales, revealing a stratified deposit dated by a single radiocarbon determination to c.2000 BP. An analysis of the stone artefact assemblage was never fully published. In this paper we present a description of the technological characteristics and composition of the stone artefact assemblage from this important site and consider similarities to and differences from other western New South Wales assemblages we have studied.

W # hi ngaro (the lost portion): Strengthening relationships between people and wetlands in north Taranaki, New Zealand

During the last twenty years M # ori have endeavoured to re-establish control over their material culture and spiritual relationship to the landscape working through new associations with local bodies, museums and researchers. One of their concerns is with cultural wetlands. Wetlands contain M # ori , archaeological and ecological values. Despite this, current legislation offers little or no protection for these fragile ecosystems or for the spiritual concerns of M # ori . The previously extensive wetlands of Taranaki have been partly drained to produce farmland, and many waterlogged wooden artefacts have been recovered. On-going drainage continues to place these sites at risk. This paper outlines our efforts to strengthen the relationship between Ng # ti Mutunga of north Taranaki and their wetlands through a research programme in which Ng # ti Mutunga play an active role. Our joint venture has required effort and understanding from both parties, and the research programmes aims and procedures have been altered to accommodate M # ori concerns.

Footprints in the sand : appraising the archaeology of the Willandra Lakes, western New South Wales, Australia

Here is a paper of pivotal importance to all prehistorians attempting to reconstruct societies from assemblages of shells or stone artefacts in dispersed sites deposited over tens of thousands of years. The authors demonstrate the perilous connections between the distribution and content of sites, their geomorphic formation process and the models used to analyse them. In particular they warn against extrapolating the enticing evidence from Pleistocene Willandra into behavioural patterns by drawing on the models presented by nineteenth-century anthropologists. They propose new strategies at once more revealing and more ethical.

Why did Maori bury artefacts in the wetlands of pre-contact Aotearoa/New Zealand?

Abstract A significant number of Maori waterlogged wooden artefacts have been found in New Zealand. Although some were associated with occupations, many were deliberately buried in wetlands. These wetland finds are a small subset of the full range of wooden artefacts found in occupation sites. Unfortunately, they tend to be found by chance during farm drainage; consequently archaeologists seldom see the finds in context. Only a small percentage of wetland sites have been investigated and the reports have largely been uncritical in their approach to interpretation and terminology. We advocate further research of wetland sites, employing three methodological approaches: contextual archaeology, scientific and experimental studies, and ethnographic analogy as ways of interpreting the behaviour and processes involved. Using these methods, analysis of the limited data suggests that Maori may have buried objects for either permanent interment or temporary burial. These reasons are predominantly functional, which contrasts with some European interpretations of buried objects. We suggest that there are advantages to studying such sites in New Zealand, as there has been less landscape change, ethnographic analogy can be used (with care), and the archaeological record, being recent, is well preserved.

Bone Projectile Points in Prehistoric Australia: Evidence from Archaeologically Recovered Implements, Ethnography, and Rock Art

While osseous projectile points are frequently recovered and well understood in African and European contexts, those from Pleistocene Australia remain vaguely reported. This chapter outlines the current evidence for prehistoric osseous projectile technology on the Australian continent through the integration of data from archaeologically recovered implements, rock art, and ethnography. Organic implements are recovered only rarely from Pleistocene archaeological contexts in Australia, however, in ethnographic times, a wide range of both bone and wooden projectile technologies were used for hunting and defense. Spears played a significant part in Aboriginal economies, mythological traditions, and in the reproduction of gender roles. This chapter will show that while the evidence for osseous prehistoric projectile technology in Australia is less rich than in other regions of the world, owing to a variety of reasons including taphonomic processes and the ready availability of alternative materials, the Australian data nevertheless contributes to a greater understanding of Pleistocene technological choices as well as cultural variability during this period.

Assessing Thomson’s Model of Seasonal Change

Abstract Donald Thomson’s 1939 discussion of the effects of seasonality on Australian Aboriginal hunter gatherer subsistence has been acknowledged as a classic. Its title “The Seasonal Factor in Human Culture” reflects his argument that seasonality should be considered a part of human culture when archaeological interpretations are being made. Thomson wrote this critique of culture historical classification at the invitation of Grahame Clark, arguing that the seasonal cycle was a factor determining the location of Aboriginal camp sites and the activities performed at them. Placing the 1939 article alongside Thomson’s long term interest in Aboriginal society, ecology, technology, and material culture allows us to see this as a pioneering work exploring human behavior and its archaeological signature.

A Retrospective Review of Richard A. Gould's Living Archaeology

Three components provide the structure for Richard Gould’s book Living Archaeology. The first component presents his original re search into the cultural ecology and behavior of Aboriginal groups living in the Australian desert. This section also includes informa tion on Gould’s excavations at Puntutjarpa rock shelter located in the Western Desert and the James Range East shelter in the Central Desert. The second component of the book presents Australian ethnohis torical and archaeological research, which provides a continent-wide context for Gould’s work. Finally, there are a number of connecting chapters and sections that advance Gould’s theoretical arguments concerning the nature of the archaeological record and how ethnographic observations by archaeologists assist its interpretation. In this retrospective, we consider first his motivations for undertaking eth noarchaeological work, then his theoretical position, and finally his contribution to Australian archaeology.