Painted shark vertebrae beads from the Djawumbu–Madjawarrnja complex, western Arnhem Land

Abstract

In Europe and Africa, fine grained use wear and residue analyses of various organic bead technologies have provided remarkable information about specialist artisans and their affiliate communities. Ethnographic research suggests that personal ornaments represent one of the best ways to explore past human interactions and ethno-linguistic diversity. The study of material culture featured in rock art is now well established in Australia, but few detailed analyses have concentrated on personal ornaments recovered from the archaeological record. Fewer still have assessed the potential of this medium for assessing regional variations, despite rich ethnographic histories which point to the significance of these objects for self-differentiating communities and/or clans. This paper examines a collection of painted shark vertebrae beads recently discovered during archaeological survey in Arnhem Land. Detailed morphometric and use wear analysis is presented for these ornaments, alongside Aboriginal oral traditions, and assessment of similar artefacts held in museum collections across Australia. The potential of this combined approach within the Australian context is discussed, including how these studies add to our understanding of group signifying behaviour.

New Insights into Use-Wear Development in Bodily Ornaments Through the Study of Ethnographic Collections

“…MQB inventory numbers: 71.1900.47.9 (a-c) and 71.1900.47.7 (d-h). ©Musée du quai Branly -Jacques Chirac, photos by C. Guzzo Falci, 2017 Osseous Materials Ornaments made of bones and teeth have also been the focus of considerable use-wear research (e.g., Cristiani and Borić 2012;d'Errico 1993a;Mărgărit et al 2016;Poulmarc'h et al 2016;Radovčić et al 2015;Rigaud et al 2014;Vanhaeren and d'Errico 2003;Winnicka 2016;Wright et al 2016). Both raw materials are relatively soft and develop diagnostic microtraces fairly quickly (Van Gijn 2005); this also means that postdepositional and curation traces may form quite easily, in particular those related to handling, storage, and cleaning (d 'Errico 1993a;Graziano 2015).…”

“…An alternative approach has been the study of composite ornaments belonging to ethnographic museum collections (Cristiani et al 2014;Langley and O'Connor 2015;Wright et al 2016). Thus far, this type of research has been conducted alongside the study of archaeological assemblages and, for this reason, has focused on specific ornament typologies and raw materials.…”

Memorialization and the Stencilled Rock Art of Mirarr Country, Northern Australia

“…Our results stem from this work that included the documentation of almost 700 sites between 2011 and 2015 (e.g. Hayward 2016a,b; 2017a,b; Johnston 2017; Johnston et al 2017; Jones & May 2017; May et al 2017; 2018; Miller 2016; Wright et al 2014; 2016). This area is renowned for its rich rock-art and archaeological heritage, with recent excavations in Mirarr Country dating occupation back to over 65,000 years bp (Clarkson et al 2017).…”

Early Australian Anthropomorphs: Jabiluka's Dynamic Figure Rock Paintings

“…Since 2011, our team has been documenting rock art in the Jabiluka Leasehold area (henceforth Jabiluka) as part of the Mirarr Gunwarddebim project (see also Hayward 2016; in press; Johnston in press; Johnston et al in press; May et al 2017; in press; Miller 2016; Wright et al 2014; 2016). This project aims to document, study and promote rock-art sites in Mirarr Country—with an initial focus on Jabiluka.…”