Format: Paper presentations with discussion
Convenors:
Jacinta Koolmatrie, Unaffiliated, jacinta.koolmatrie@outlook.com
Kate Greenwood, Greenwood Consultancy; Flinders University; The University of Queensland, Australia, kateagreenwood@gmail.com
Jillian Garvey, DJANDAK (Dja Dja Wurrung Enterprises); La Trobe University, Australia, j.garvey@latrobe.edu.au
Centring Indigenous knowledges and ways of working is fundamental to ensuring ethical practice and research in archaeology and cultural heritage. While archaeologists have made progress in this space, there is still much room for improvement. This session aims to highlight the many ways archaeologists can be more ethical and open to incorporating Indigenous knowledges and ways of doing in their cultural heritage work, whether it be through practice or research. The session will focus on projects that are Indigenous led and/or formed through genuine collaborative partnerships that are mutually beneficial. It will seek to explore ways that Indigenous knowledge is centred that is not extractive, including Indigenous rights to have agency over their knowledges and cultural heritage. This session shares papers on intangible heritage, Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), oral histories, applied archaeology, museum collections and also perspectives on best practice, heritage legislation, shared benefit agreements and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) rights.
This session will focus on projects or stories that place an emphasis on Indigenous knowledges and ways of working. Presenters will either need to be Indigenous, or have permission from the community that they are working with, and ideally co-present with their Indigenous partners.
Papers:
Echoes of the Past: Drowned Forests and Cultural Connections in Inundated Coastal Landscapes
Ingrid Ward, Curtin University
David Guilfoyle,
D. Reynolds
Tjaltjraak Healthy Land and Sea Program Team
Coastal and submerged forests worldwide are vital ecological and cultural archives, offering crucial insights into environmental responses to post-glacial sea-level rise. In Australia, coastal trees and intertidal peats provide enduring connections to ancient landscapes occupied by our First Nations people. This paper presents case studies from southwest Western Australia and other sites, showcasing the value of collaborative, co-designed approaches in enriching our understanding of the past. It highlights the cultural significance of coastal trees and forests, emphasising research frameworks that foster meaningful partnerships and embrace diverse knowledge systems. By centring cultural perspectives as scientific inquiry, these collaborations strengthen cultural leadership models and inform the management of heritage places, landscapes, and their associated values. The paper underscores the importance of integrating ecological and cultural narratives to reinforce the enduring connections between people and place, offering valuable insights for future heritage and environmental stewardship.
Engaging Collections: Libetshu in the Nicolaas Jacobus van Warmelo Collection, Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History, South Africa
Yola Nzimela, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
This paper examines the curatorial practice of African ritual material culture in South African museums, focusing on the libetshu/Mankgwanyana divination materials in the Nicolaas van Warmelo collection at the Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History. Despite their sacred significance to source communities, these objects are often excluded from meaningful curatorial decision-making due to elitist or Eurocentric perspectives. This paper sought to enhance understanding of libetshu/Mankgwanyana as ritually activated divination materials, promoting appropriate curation that respects their spiritual significance.
Through use-wear analysis, interviews with traditional practitioners and curators, and a curatorial justice framework, this paper reveals that libetshu/Mankgwanyana are spiritual divination materials requiring specific handling and curation. The findings emphasise the importance of co-curation with source communities and stakeholders while also highlighting the need for tailored approaches that respect the unique ancestral lineages associated with each divination material.
Rock Art and Cultural Heritage in Balnggarrawarra Country, Cape York Peninsula, Northeast Australia
Bulla McIvor, Ginger McIvor, Larry Banning, Ash McIvor, Matt Burns and Ray McIvor, Balnggarrawarra Rangers, Australia
Jillian Huntley, Lynley A. Wallis and Mia Dardengo, Griffith University, Australia
Heather Burke, Archaeology, Flinders University, Australia
Courtney Webster, Griffith University, Australia
Sahitya Raja, Griffith University, Australia
Scott Thomason, Balnggarrawarra Rangers, Australia
Over the past four years the Melsonby Balnggarrawarra Rangers have been recording rock art motifs in their traditional lands in southeast Cape York Peninsula, north Queensland, as part of the ABM Project. The local sandstone geology provides a wealth of easily accessible pigments perfect for rock art production, and is equally amenable to engraving. In this paper we describe our emerging understandings of Balnggarrawarra art as a vibrant style with affinities to Quinkan art to the south, yet featuring distinctive motifs that set it apart. We explore the myriad conservation challenges we face in seeking to manage our art in a remote, rugged tropical region, while also discussing experimental pigment work and a youth cross-cultural knowledge sharing program we have developed.
Indigenous Knowledge and Digital Archaeology on Injalak Hill, Northern Territory, Australia
Joey Nganjmirra, Injalak Arts and Culture Aboriginal Association, Australia
Andrea Jalandoni, Place, Evolution, Rock Art, Heritage Unit (PERAHU); Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution (ARCHE); Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research (GCSCR), Griffith University, Australia
In 2021, Andrea (digital archaeologist) went to teach Joey and his mob how to record the rock art on Injalak Hill with photogrammetry; in return, Joey (artist, storyteller, and dancer) taught Andrea about rock art: an unequal exchange of knowledge because digital archaeology is a growing subdiscipline that many archaeologists can do, while Joey’s knowledge of the rock art is scarce and invaluable.
Joey and others wanted to continue recording the rock art of Injalak and to bring their children along to learn. Through the support of Joey and others from community, Andrea received a research grant about understanding rock art placement on Injalak Hill. Together we will create a digital twin of the hill that not only provides a baseline recording of all the rock art in 2025 but also will aid research, tourism, and the cultural education of the children in the community.
Australia is one of the few places that can still provide informed perspectives of rock art, not just formal methods. This project is an example of integrating both for a more comprehensive understanding of the rock art of Injalak Hill.
Indigenous Knowledge Transmission and the Co-Production of Archaeological Research: Wānaka in Aotearoa New Zealand
Marie Dunn, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, University of Otago, Aotearoa New Zealand
For Indigenous people, engaging in archaeology can require contending with its painful colonial history. Conventional archaeological practices have been developed within western knowledge systems, rather than the knowledge systems of descendant communities. Consequently, Indigenous communities are often hesitant to engage in archaeological research, as we are asked to think about our past outside of our own cultural frameworks in spaces determined by researchers.
Wānaka (discussion, tribal forum) is a method of knowledge transmission particular to Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. Wānaka are culturally safe spaces where knowledge is shared on hapū (kinship group) terms, guided by tikaka (appropriate protocols). There is an increasing use of wānaka in research as a means of centring hapū in decision making and restructuring research relationships. However, there is a gap in the literature of its use in archaeology, despite its benefits for the co-production of research. This paper will provide an overview of wānaka, the benefits of its implementation in archaeological investigation, and reflections on why this gap in the literature exists. I share these preliminary investigations as part of my PhD research, which explores engaging in heritage practices as a tool for reconnecting to whenua tīpuna (ancestral landscapes).
Archaeology as a Tool for Kaitiakitanga
Leela Moses, Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, CFG Heritage Ltd, Aotearoa New Zealand
In many areas around Aotearoa, including my homeland of Te Tau Ihu, Kaitiaki (Indigenous guardians / cultural monitors) will be involved a wide range of construction and earthworks sites, while archaeologists are only involved if they have been specifically engaged. As ahi kā (continuous occupiers), Kaitiaki have whakapapa (ancestral) links to each place, connections to specific tipuna (ancestors), kōrero (stories), which connect to their wāhi tapu and wāhi tipuna (sacred and ancestral places). These are all part of a holistic understanding of, and connection to, place which cannot be taught. Many archaeological practices, on the other hand, can be learned in a week.
Providing training on the archaeological process, including both legislative and practical methods, gives Kaitiaki an extra tool to practice stewardship of their traditional places, histories and lands, without relinquishing control and sovereignty of their traditional knowledge.
Having worked for many years as a Kaitiaki before becoming a CRM archaeologist, this talk will discuss the value of empowering Kaitiaki to engage in archaeological practice, with discussion of methods for doing so, drawn from the training sessions I provide Kaitiaki from my own iwi.
Five Years On: The Cultural Values and Significance Assessment of the Seaford Wetlands
David Tutchener, Deakin University, Australia
Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation, Australia
The Seaford Wetlands is one of several significant RAMSAR places within the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation Registered Aboriginal Party Area. The Seaford Wetlands is one of the few remnant areas of what was once the massive Carrum Swamp, which was drained early during the colonial period for farmland. Much of it has now been developed for industrial and residential estates.
This case study outlines a collaborative process that demonstrates the use of the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation specific conceptual tools to produce a cultural values assessment and reassess the cultural significance of the Seaford Wetlands that was undertaken five years ago. Firstly, the cultural values assessment of the Seaford Wetlands which produced the Aboriginal cultural values of the place. Secondly, during this assessment, the cultural significance of the Seaford Wetlands was assessed. Finally, specific project recommendations that were initially conceived will be compared to the outcomes that have so far occurred at this place and will be used as a measure to review how useful this process was.
Anishinabe Odjibikan: An Indigenous Archaeological Field School in Canada’s National Capital
Jennifer Tenasco, Anishinaabe Odjibikan; University of Ottawa, Canada
Drew Tenasco, Kyle Sarazin and Lucas Barbeau, Anishinaabe Odjibikan, Canada
Jenna Lanigan, Anishinaabe Odjibikan; Universite de Montreal, Canada
Pierre M. Desrosiers, Canadian Museum of History, Canada
In 2021, history was made in Ottawa, the National Capital of Canada, with the creation of an Indigenous-led archaeological field school, Anishinabe Odjibikan, meaning ‘Anishinabe Roots’. Established by the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg and the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation with the collaboration of Public Services and Procurement Canada, the National Capital Commission, and the Canadian Museum of History, this initiative marks the dawn of a new era on the unceded traditional territory of the Anishinabe.
How is it possible that a discovery made on the Parliament Hill in 2019 triggered the creation of this initiative? During this presentation, we will unravel how this field school has evolved over the years, the significance of its creation, and our future aspirations. Through the voices of community members, we invite you on this journey of cultural reclamation and innovation that is redefining the way archaeology is conducted to honour the land of our ancestors.
Kaitiakitanga and Archaeology: Codesigning Indigenous Community Responses to Eroding Coastal Archaeological Sites in Aotea, Waikato, Aotearoa New Zealand
Isaac H. McIvor, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka (University of Otago), Archaeology Programme; Ngaati Patu Poo
Pita Te Ngaru, Ngaati Patu Poo, Ngaati Mahuta, Ngaati Hikairo, Ngaati Te Wehi, Ngaati Mahanga
Coastal heritage sites in Aotearoa are vital to Indigenous community well-being, affirming ties to land, ancestors and identity. These sites are increasingly threatened by climate change impacts like erosion, slips, floods, and temperature changes. Community-driven management is essential to kaitiakitanga or Indigenous community guardianship under local priorities and ways of being. This project focuses on identifying specific concerns of hapuu Māori (ancestrally connected extended families) around Aotea Moana about coastal heritage places. We investigate how waananga (culturally embedded discussion), archaeological survey, and excavation can affirm values of community-driven research, including guardianship, hospitality, local leadership, group wellbeing, and traditional knowledge sharing. Through initial waananga, we discussed the local culturally appropriate ways of doing research, what archaeology offers as a tool for the local community, and identified Pourewa Paa as an example site that had been exposed to recent slips. Subsequent activities involved further group reflection, karakia (incantation, prayer), and field survey, with community excavations planned later in 2025. We aim to facilitate local hapuu caring for ancestral places, enhance descendant identity through archaeology and learn about our pasts through exploring traditional knowledge systems alongside archaeological practice.
Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices in Arunachal Pradesh: A Few Case Studies
Bina Gandhi Deori, Deputy Director-Research, SAARC Cultural Centre, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Kargo Lendo, Trained Graduate Teacher, Government Higher Secondary School, Basar, India
Arunachal Pradesh, situated in the foothills of Himalayas is the northeastern most state of India mainly inhabited by the Indigenous people. The Indigenous people, called ‘tribal’ in India, have been living in close proximity with nature and developed ways of life that align with the concept of sustainability. Concepts like sharing resources, collective care during hardships or community bonds, are not new to them. And it is these ideas that are missing and affecting the quality of human life in the modern world. Mainstream societies can learn several resilience strategies from these Indigenous people.
The paper will explore how in the face of rapid urbanisation and globalisation, their centuries old way of life is guiding them to live a life that provides a balance between meeting the challenges of modernisation and not losing their identity. This paper will also explore projects that bring out the relevance of these Indigenous knowledge systems in addressing modern challenges, contributing to resilience and revival at both local and global scales.
Archives in Bark: The Intertwining of Narrative and Carvings on Boab Trees Across the Kimberley, WA
Melissa Marshall, University of Notre Dame Australia
Jeffrey Jamieson, Jane Edwards and Kyra Edwards, Walalakoo Aboriginal Corporation, Australia
Gordon Smith Jnr, Nyaliga Aboriginal Corporation, Australia
Brenda Garstone, Bulngunna Aboriginal Corporation, Australia
Sue O’Connor, Australian National University, Australia
Jane Balme, University of Western Australia, Australia
Ursula Frederick, University of Canberra, Australia
Will Andrews, Heritage Spatial, Australia
The majestic and imposing boab (Adansonia gregorii) or baobab tree dominates the skyline across the vast Kimberley region in the north-west of Australia. Markers in this expansive landscape, boab trees capture the imagination, providing a visual symbol for navigation concurrent to holding bookarrikarra (Dreamtime), wisdom and knowledge of the First People of this nation. For the past four years, Aboriginal communities have partnered with researchers to photogrammetrically document these trees, along with the carvings and inscriptions they convey – inclusive of traditional, historic, contemporary markings – along with the intangible narratives inherent within them and the surrounding landscape. At times, trees were also documented that had no physical markings, their importance imbued rather than etched in the bark with knowledge shared across generations. Celebrating the rich, connected and diverse Aboriginal cultures of the Kimberley, this project has contributed substantially to understandings of the nuanced and layered vitality and values of culturally-modified trees.
To share these experiences, recordings and knowledge, this presentation will be delivered as a collective reflection on the collaborative experience and stories shared, by Nyikina, Mangala, Nyaliga and Jaru representatives alongside members of the academic team.
Weaving Our Knowledge Together: Community-centred Cultural Heritage Research on Broughton Island, NSW, Australia
Laura Dafter, University of Sydney, Australia
David Feeney, Karuah Local Aboriginal Land Council, Australia
David Kirk, Worimi Local Aboriginal Land Council, Australia
Lennie Anderson OAM, Nur Run Gee Pty Ltd, Australia
Jamie Tarrant, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Australia
Susanne Callaghan, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Australia
Collaborative research has been underway since 2019 to investigate the Aboriginal cultural heritage values of Broughton Island. Worimi Traditional Owners and the Karuah and Worimi Local Aboriginal Land Councils co-designed the research with archaeologists and land managers, centring community aspirations for applied research on Country. Working towards mutual objectives and a shared vision, this project delivers outcomes that respond to the needs and interests of Traditional Owners. Field-based archaeological investigations have been conducted over several years, focusing on sites identified by Traditional Owners as a research priority. With the establishment of a dedicated research facility on Worimi Country in 2024, the day-to-day research process has been embedded within the community. Intertwining the research with community in this way has increased opportunities for knowledge sharing, ensuring the perspectives of Traditional Owners remain at the heart of this research. We use the analogy of a woven grass mat to conceptualise our approach to community-centred research on this project. Much like the process of weaving a mat, this project threads together many strands of knowledge, producing a range of non-traditional research outputs. In this paper we will share learnings from our work to date, and highlight the many benefits of a community-centred approach.
Yagara Biocultural Knowledge of Culturally Modified Trees in Southeast Queensland, Australia
Kate Greenwood, Archaeology, Flinders University, Australia; Greenwood Consultancy
Madonna Thomson and James Bonner, Jagera Daran Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Body, Australia
Indigenous biocultural knowledge is often ignored in ‘development’ driven cultural heritage/archaeological assessments, yet for Indigenous people, this knowledge is fundamental to understanding the meaning and value of cultural heritage sites. Working in a collaborative partnership, based on a shared benefit agreement, Kate Greenwood and Jagera Daran Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Body (representing Yagara people, the Traditional Owners of the Brisbane and Brisbane Valley area, in southeast Queensland), have been researching the Indigenous biocultural knowledge of trees, in order to better understand, record and assess culturally modified trees. Methods include semi-structured interviews with Traditional Owners and other experts, archival research, desktop analysis, field surveys and museum collection visits to view artefacts made from trees (in Australia and the UK). This has led to the development of a model of culturally modified trees in southeast Queensland, founded on Indigenous biocultural knowledge, based on tree species type and scar typology. It is hoped this model will assist in the identification of culturally modified trees in cultural heritage/ archaeological assessments and will ultimately lead to the protection of this rare cultural heritage site type. Presenters will also discuss intellectual property rights, training of Yagara rangers and other benefits of this research project.
Aboriginal Knowledges and Megafauna: The Limitations of Western Ideologies and How They Have Influenced the Megafauna Debate
Jacinta Koolmatrie, Adnyamathanha and Ngarrindjeri
Jade Turner, Eastern Arrernte
There are many theories surrounding the extinction of megafauna. Some of these theories have pointed directly towards Aboriginal people as the cause of their extinction, while others consider that their influence was minor. Wherever your theory is placed on the megafauna extinction spectrum there is a chance it has still been influenced by colonialism, racism and bias. This paper will explore how these limitations have permeated interpretations and influenced the overall megafauna extinction narrative.
Through highlighting how limited Western ideologies have been in the debate, we can pivot our attention toward Aboriginal Knowledges and interpretations. While Aboriginal Knowledges have been used to understand the physical and behavioural attributes of megafauna, this consideration has rarely been extended to the debate of their extinction. Through looking at the debate from an Aboriginal Knowledges perspective, we can form a deeper understanding about the past where Western ideologies are less influential.
Rethinking Approaches to Cultural Heritage: Weaving Archaeology, Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), and Returning Murrups (Spirits), An Example from Dja Dja Wurrung Djandak (Country), Victoria
Jillian Garvey, Biocultural Program Manager, DJANDAK (Dja Dja Wurrung Enterprises), Bendigo; Dept of Archaeology and History, La Trobe University, Australia
Amos Atkinson, Yung Balug and Dja Dja Wurrung Traditional Owner
Jade Morgan, Returning Spirit Officer, DJANDAK (Dja Dja Wurrung Enterprises), Bendigo, Australia
Australian Indigenous cultural heritage is predominately focused on material objects, sites and places. In our example from Dja Dja Wurrung Djandak (Country), in what is now known as central Victoria, we are rethinking this approach by combining western research methodology, Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and modern cultural practices to better understand the important role of bunya (possum) in the lives of Djaara (Dja Dja Wurrung people) from deep time to the present. Such approaches enable tangible and intangible cultural narratives to be combined along with contemporary cultural significance.
This paper presents the way in which we are doing this, incorporating cultural heritage and biocultural knowledge to help reset, heal and look after Djandak. This includes the western archaeological practices as discussed by JG, the family cultural connection to Yung Balug and Dja Dja Wurrung Country presented by AA, and the Djaara biocultural connection to bunya discussed by JM. Such approaches allow Djaara to identify and record their cultural connections to bunya and provide and support Djaara in being able to not only demonstrate the value of returning knowledge and murrup (spirit) to Djandak but how it should be returned, where, when, why and by whom this should be done. This is a critical link in enabling Djaara to represent their rights on Djandak in a way that supports the Victorian State Government in recognising and enabling these to occur.
Archaeological Science has an Indigenous Future
Dawn A. Lewis, Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, University of Adelaide; Summer Internship for Indigenous Peoples in Genomics (SING Australia); ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH), University of Adelaide, Australia
Vilma Perez, Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, University of Adelaide; ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH), University of Adelaide; ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures (CIEHF), Australian National University, Australia
Bastien Llamas, Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, University of Adelaide, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH), University of Adelaide, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures (CIEHF), Australian National University, Australia
This paper discusses how Traditional Knowledge is currently utilised by archaeo-scientists, particularly in the context of molecular archaeology, and offers insights into the future of productive collaborations between Indigenous stakeholders and archaeologists. We draw from various contexts to discuss the growing understanding of the two-way benefits of weaving scientific method and oral histories. We delve into the potential pitfalls of proposing—or often imposing—new scientific methods without comprehensive engagement with Traditional Knowledge holders, and how the interpretation of results is augmented by the inclusion of non-academic material such as Indigenous oral histories. We discuss the considerations that go beyond consultation and/or engagement with Indigenous stakeholders and into true co-design, and argue that co-designed research is the future of these collaborations—with Indigenous-led research projects being the ideal goal. Finally, we address the potential benefits and hurdles of growing capacity for Indigenous archaeo-scientists to ensure a truly holistic view of archaeological science.