Archaeological research into Sydney's Aboriginal past has overwhelmingly focused on the pre-contact period, while historical archaeology focusing on Aboriginal heritage has mostly been undertaken in regional or remote areas. Despite this, a range of approaches and techniques has been developed through these and other studies that can now be applied to the Aboriginal historical archaeology of urban areas. This paper collates and examines the physical evidence of the historical Aboriginal use of Sydney, which reveals a continuous history of Aboriginal associations with the Sydney area. Although scant, the physical evidence can be combined with detailed archival research to create a more rounded picture of how Aboriginal people responded to the growth of urban centres like Sydney. Many documented Aboriginal links to places (including extant buildings) are intangible associations but can be mapped to illustrate the complex and shifting connections which typify urban Aboriginal histories. The range of available methods and sources also provides broader scope for meaningful collaborations with urban Aboriginal communities, which are essential for this research to succeed.
abstract. Post-contact Aboriginal archaeology is a relatively new but growing discipline in Australia, though most work has been focussed on non-urban areas. A scoping study initiated in 2006 sought to determine the viability of an historical and archaeological research project in Sydney, Australia's oldest and largest urban centre. Such research has not been previously attempted in a systematic way, due to the assumed high impact of European settlement on the region's post contact Aboriginal archaeology. The study has shown this not to be the case, combining the records of previous archaeological and historical research to create a spatial database of 280 post-contact Aboriginal places within the Sydney region. Preliminary analysis of this data has shown some interesting trends in the location and nature of these places, which suggest further research could be of significant value to the interpretation of post-contact Aboriginal history and the nature of cross-cultural interactions in urban centres, as well as pre-contact archaeology and traditional Aboriginal life in the region. The Sydney Aboriginal Historical Places Project has been formed to progress this research in conjunction with local Aboriginal communities in the Sydney region.
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