Towards a Late Holocene archaeology of the Inland Pilbara

Abstract

Stone artefact scatters dominate the archaeological landscape of the inland Pilbara. While the archaeological record from rockshelter sites suggests human occupation consisting of brief, intermittent visits by small groups of people, artefact scatters which range from small, discrete single flaking events of perhaps 5-10 artefacts to widespread and varied scatters, sometimes of hundreds of thousands of stone artefacts extending over hundreds of thousands of square metres, clearly tell a different story. This paper presents an analysis of stone artefact assemblages from nine inland Pilbara surface artefact scatters and demonstrates that sites of this type have the potential to contribute much to our knowledge of human occupation of the region. We propose a testable model of Aboriginal occupation of the Pilbara during the Holocene.

Implications for culture contact history from a glass artefact on a Diingwulung earth mound in Weipa

“…Glass was recognised as a source for tool manufacture early in Australian archaeological studies (McCarthy and Davidson 1943;McCarthy 1967). Since then flaked and utilised glass has been reported from many Indigenous archaeological sites from all environmental contexts across Australia where culture contact had occurred (Attenbrow 2006;Hughes and Lampert 1980;Mulvaney 2010;Smith 2006) including rockshelters, open artefact scatters, earth mounds, and shell middens in northern Australia (Akerman and Bindon 1995;Attenbrow et al 1995;Clarke and Frederick 2011;David and Wilson 1999;Harrison 2000;Fullagar and Head 1997;McNiven et al 1992;Mitchell 1996Mitchell , 2000O'Connor et al 2008;Roberts et al 1994;Ryan and Morse 2009;Sim and Wallis 2008;Sullivan et al 2011;Ward 2004;Ward et al 2006).…”

Rock shelters as indicators of mobility patterns in the inland Pilbara

“…The view that rock shelters provide a limited and skewed interpretation of the Pilbara archaeological landscape rests largely on anecdotal evidence. It is also influenced by the pivotal role of the region's diverse topography and its major river systems on Aboriginal land use, demonstrated both in ethnographic sources and the richness of the surface archaeological record (Ryan & Morse : 6). Clarke (), for example, reported the general observation that there was “a preference for habitation of open sites on upper river terraces, caves being used mainly as an emergency in bad weather”.…”

“…Ethnographic evidence for use of rock shelters in the Pilbara is sparse, but has been interpreted to suggest that rock shelters were little used in the region (Brown : 17; Ryan & Morse : 6). Consequently, the Cloudbreak – Christmas Creek shelters could be viewed as ephemeral sites representing short‐term occupations by small groups.…”

“…In the Pilbara, however, the ready availability of raw material in the landscape complicates the picture. Ryan and Morse (: 13) noted a correlation between diversity in raw materials and artefact types, and interpreted high raw material diversity as indicating seasonally high levels of logistic mobility and low levels of residential mobility. In this, they followed Veth's prediction (: 86) that sites associated with permanent water sources, where larger groups were able to gather, would have “greater diversity of lithologies”.…”

“…Veth : 77). Consequently, Ryan and Morse () have argued that rock shelters are atypical and distort our interpretation of the Pilbara archaeological landscape.…”