User:Edwwards/History of Western Australia

Aboriginal Settlement

Archaeology

Cockburn Ranges

A diverse array of rock art lies in the east Kimberly in the Cockburn Ranges. These Ranges are within the Balanggarra Native Title determination and are made of large vertical sandstone formations containing many shelters at various elevations. Over fifty rock art sites are documented in this region and stretch from the late Pleistocene to the Holocene. Not only are there large and colorful paintings, but subtractive markings that take the form of figures, non-figures, and tallies. The shelters that contain rock art have traces of human occupation and evidence of children participating in the creation of the rock art. Stencils of hands and feet of many sizes are attributed to children under ten including toddlers.

Djadjiling Rockshelter

Located in the traditional lands of the Martidja Banyjima people in the Pilbara region, the first occupation of the Djadjiling Rockshelter has been dated to 35,000 BP. This date was determined from the radiocarbon dating of fourteen in situ charcoal samples collected from small hearths. 664 stone artifacts have also been excavated from this site. The stratigraphy shows evidence of repeated site use over thousands of years and supports occupation during the Last Glacial Maximum.

Brockman 4 Mining Tenement

Excavations of the two sites Juukan-1 and Juukan-2 within the Rio Tinto Brockman 4 mining tenement provide further evidence for occupation of the Pilbara region during the Last Glacial Maximum. Flaked stone, 32 stone artifacts, and 67 animal bone fragments have been excavated from the Juukan-1 rockshelter. Kangaroos, wallaroos, bandicoots, mice, rats, and fish make up the animal bone assemblage. Burn marks and the lack of animal teeth marks on the animal bones are evidence of human activity. 50 meters west of Juukan-1 is the Juukan-2 rockshelter. 272 flaked stone artifacts and 857 animal bone fragments have been excavated. Containing a diverse array of bone, the animal remains assemblage consists of kangaroos, wallaroos, bandicoots, possums, pygmy possums, echidnas, bettongs, mice, rats, skinks, birds, and fish. Several of these bone fragments also show evidence of burning. The dating of these artifacts lends to occupation later than 35,000 BP.

West Angelas

A grindstone excavated from a rockshelter in the West Angelas region of Pilbara contains residues of a plant strongly suggest that they derive from the plant nardoo. This is a starchy freshwater fern that sometimes requires complex processing techniques. The grindstone from the WARE 14-35-RS rockshelter site was found with grains associated with the processing of nardoo based on the samples taken. Many of the grains recovered from this grindstone were damaged, providing evidence of grinding and processing. While evidence of the consumption of nardoo by Aboriginal people in the Holocene is not common in the Pilbara region, this grindstone is evidence that it did occur on occasion.

Yalibirri Mindi Rockshelter

Radiometric dating from the Weld Range, Mid West region Yalibirri Mindi rockshelter provides a basal date of 29,089±132 for human occupation. Dating of in situ charcoal samples from hearths and sediment deposits are all consistent with Pleistocene occupation. Some archaeologists interpret this data as the Weld Range being a place of refuge during the Last Glacial Maximum. Emu eggshells and faunal remains from a Holocene feature of the rockshelter could indicate a seasonal use based on emu breeding seasons. The evidence of occupation in the Mid West region aligns with evidence from surrounding regions and affirms the knowledge of the Wajarri Traditional Owners that they have occupied this region since time immemorial.