Archaeologists are filling in gaps about Indigenous populations on coastal and island sites of Yorke Peninsula, west of South Australia’s capital Adelaide, putting likely habitation there 8000 years ago.
A new study, published in The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, focussing on Point Pearce Peninsula/Burgiyana and Wardang Island/Waraldi, was done in collaboration with the Narungga Nation Aboriginal Corporation and Point Pearce Aboriginal Corporation. The Narungga people are the Aboriginal Traditional Owners of Yorke Peninsula, also known as Guuranda.
To develop a clearer understanding of the peninsula and island’s Indigenous occupation and visitation throughout history, the researchers from Flinders University and the University of SA, applied radiocarbon dating to shells and other materials found at seven archaeological sites.
“We were interested in understanding when Aboriginal people started using the island,” Professor Amy Roberts, author of the study, told Cosmos.
“We knew from the historical records and from community members that Aboriginal people would swim over to the island, but we didn’t know how long that may have been happening.”
“So we used radiocarbon dating, mostly of shells from the sites on both the current island and the point on the Peninsula to see if we could figure that out.”
Four of the sites examined were on the mainland at Point Pearce Peninsula/Burgiyana and three on Wardang Island/Waraldi.
“We targeted places that we knew were archeological sites,” says Roberts, “And it was all done with Aboriginal community involvement.”
The team dated shellfish remains alongside other stone artefacts and oral history knowledge, to help construct a timeline of the island.
The earliest shells were dated to 8000 years ago.
“These results span a time when Wardang Island/Waraldi was still attached to the mainland as well as the period after the sea levels rose, following the Last Glacial Maximum,” says Aridan Mollenmans, a PhD candidate at Flinders University and author of the study.
“What we found was that some of the dates related to when the island was still part of the mainland, and then as the waters rose,” Roberts explained to Cosmos.
“We found that after the waters had settled back down, people then went to that place as an island. So it had been used when it was part of the mainland and then when it became an island.”
A gap in the archaeological record spanning from 3000 to 1600 years ago could represent a possible drying event, demonstrating how the sea levels continually changed to create the coastline that stands today.
“The stories of sea-level rise and the creation of gulfs and islands have been passed down by our ancestors,” says Narungga scholar and University of South Australia Professor Lester-Irabinna Rigney.
“Our Elders also told us many stories about how the Old People would swim to Wardang Island to collect penguin eggs, fish and conduct other cultural activities—a feat that required skill and knowledge.”
The radiocarbon dating highlights the ongoing connection that the Indigenous Narungga people have with their island and Sea Country, even during the more recent European invasion and settlement periods.
“Our research also reminds us of the dramatic effects of sea-level rise and our responsibility to care for the environment for future generations,” says Rigney.
Roberts has worked closely with the Indigenous communities involved in the study who have strong physical, cultural and spiritual ties to the land.
“There’s not been much archeological work done in that region. And in South Australia, there’s been little done on any of the islands except the Kangaroo Island,” says Roberts.
“The community is really interested to understand those questions and expand the cultural knowledge that they had about these important places.”
Indigenous history of the River Murray
