Search

Fish motifs in Aboriginal rock art of the Laura area (Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia) include a heterogenous group that has been imprecisely classified by rock art researchers. By analysing motif attributes, style and contexts (including natural populations), we characterised three categories: fork-tailed catfish (Neoarius paucus), eel-tailed catfish (Neosilurus spp.) and eel (Anguilla reinhardti). We label the categories with the local names 'catfish', 'jewfish' and 'eel'. The catfish cohort has a relatively naturalistic style, while the eel exhibits anatomical trends of eels, distinctive arrangements, and stylistic overlaps with jewfish that may denote shared meanings. Ambiguity is confirmed as a cultural value and communication mode of the rock art system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors describe rock art dating research in Australia using the oxalate method. While the array of dates obtained (which range from c. 1200 to c. 25 000 BP) show a satisfactory correlation with other archaeological data, there are mismatches which suggest that some motif were often imitated by later artists, and/or that the mineral accretions continued to form periodically, perhaps continuously, as a regional phenomenon over a long period of time. Keywords: Pleistocene, Holocene, Australia, rock art, Quinkan, Introduction More than a decade ago, a programme of rock art dating was initiated by the authors in the Laura (Quinkan) region of Cape York Peninsula, in collaboration with other [...]

During the late Holocene, Aboriginal rock painters in north Queensland selected and combined various natural inorganic and organic materials in paint recipes -- possibly to increase the longevity of their [...]

The archaeological record of Lower Laura (aka Boralga) Native Mounted Police camp, a longstanding base for Queensland's frontier war in Cape York Peninsula, includes a diverse assemblage of culturally modified Erythophleum chlorastychys (Cooktown ironwood) trees. Analysis of cultural scar attributes and tool marks – which were found to be variously associated with Aboriginal stone tools, tomahawks of different types, and long handled axes – reveals a scenario of nineteenth century land use and technology that transcends the pre-conflict era of Aboriginal clan estates. As well as reflecting traditional patterns of Aboriginal tenure of prime waterfront land, the assemblage reveals innovations that occurred in Aboriginal technology in the lead-up to war. However, an unusual style of cultural scar cut using long handled axes appears to signal transformations in demography and land use following Native Mounted Police occupation. By integrating historical, oral history, spatial, typological, and botanical data this study provides evidence of demographic and environmental changes set in train by the gold-rush invasion. It also highlights the complexities of documenting Cooktown ironwood trees of advanced age and their fragile, deteriorating cultural modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 1960s Percy Trezise integrated his rock art research in the Laura region, Cape York Peninsula, with recording Indigenous cultural knowledge and life stories. Since then, archaeologists have been reluctant to make use of this ethnographic information. This paper explores the issue in the light of current models of Aboriginal society and history for southern Cape York Peninsula. When viewed in these contexts the authenticity of Trezise's ethno-historic and ethnographic records is validated. Gaps and ambiguities in the Trezise records may result from cross-cultural issues and the deeply esoteric nature of Aboriginal art and its connections to ancestral law. The judicious use of ethnography is recommended as a complementary method in Laura rock art studies. Trezise's primary records may provide further clarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 1970s, a rare assemblage of trade beads was discovered inside a woven plant fibre bag in a rockshelter (the ‘Dillybag site’) near Laura, Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. Cached post-1895, the bag held more than 4000 glass beads strung on cotton, nylon and hand-spun (possibly human) hair twine. Seventy-eight percent of beads showed some degree of damage from bead-on-bead contact, suggesting that the assemblage accumulated gradually over time. All beads on hair twine were minute or small, and potentially reveal consumer choice in their selection, as does the large proportion of red, white and black beads, suggesting a preference for customary colours. This cache is not only the largest collection of glass beads recovered from an archaeological context in Australia, but also speaks to the dynamism, agency and persistence of the Indigenous people of southeast Cape York Peninsula following invasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An obituary for George Musgrave, elder of the Kuku Thaypan or Awu Laya people is presented.