ABSTRACT
The Japanese occupation of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean
has been little mentione... more ABSTRACT The Japanese occupation of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean has been little mentioned in Australian wartime histories. There is scant reference during Australian memorials or in historical publications about the island’s experiences during the World War II (WWII), when ties with Australia were close. Christmas Island is 488 km from Jakarta and in WWII was in a key position between Japanese-occupied Papua New Guinea and the Indian subcontinent, the coveted next step in Japanese control of the Indian Ocean during this major conflict. Highly strategic, but poorly defended, the island fell to the Japanese in early 1942, and was occupied for 3 years. Recording and reporting on the remains of the Japanese occupation of Christmas Island places the island and its people more securely within the Australian wartime narrative, and within the pantheon of occupied territories.
Australia is not unique in identifying the gap between the skillset required to work in the archa... more Australia is not unique in identifying the gap between the skillset required to work in the archaeology profession and the skills provided during a standard archaeology degree. The most significant and enduring gap has been identified by the students themselves; the practical application of archaeological field skills. In Western Australia, students have taken the initiative, and moved away from the academic world, to develop a practical model for supervised , structured fieldwork that increases practice opportunities and, consequently, their skills
Christmas and other festivities associated with the winter solstice are a wonderful opportunity t... more Christmas and other festivities associated with the winter solstice are a wonderful opportunity to imagine changes. At IJSRA, we work everyday on a voluntary basis to transform the academic publishing landscape, in our firm belief that authors should not have to pay for publishing, and that making research freely available to a global readership help address growing (academic) inequalities worldwide. We aim to make an impact through an independent, unaffiliated, open-access student forum, without any submission, publication, or subscription fees.
Therefore, what better time to publish our second issue that in this merry Christmas Eve. We have an amazing variety of contents, including original fieldwork in Botswana, a model for undergraduate skills development, Indo-Greek coinage, heritage legislation in the Philippines, medieval perceptions and attitudes to health, a reassessment of Natufian sedentism, a Big Data cross-cultural analysis, a book review, and reviews of many conferences! We hope you enjoy reading these outstanding examples of student scholarship!
We are now accepting submissions for our third issues; we will be reviewing manuscripts on a rolling basis, so submit when you're ready! Recommended deadline: March 15th
As part of our constant efforts to reach as wide an audience as possible, we are always looking for people with diverse research interests to join our growing international team. If you are committed to improve the presence of excellent student scholarship in archaeology, please do get in touch!
The prolific rock art of northern Australia has attracted considerable attention, with research o... more The prolific rock art of northern Australia has attracted considerable attention, with research on X-ray art, the Wanjina and Gwion Gwion as widespread as the art itself. In the southern Kimberley, collaborative research with the Bunuba and Gooniyandi peoples, has recorded a large assemblage of distinct and diverse rock art, that is little publicised, and – until now - never systematically recorded. In a landscape occupied by the Bunuba and Gooniyandi peoples for more than 40,000 years the multiple layers in the rock are important and extant markers of occupation and change. The distribution, motif choice, superimposition, and stylistic elements of the recorded assemblage show differences in the social lifeways of Bunuba and Gooniyandi peoples, including the ways in which identity and belief systems are expressed through the rock art over time and space.
Re-excavation of a shelter in Windjana Gorge National Park, Southern Kimberley has extended
the k... more Re-excavation of a shelter in Windjana Gorge National Park, Southern Kimberley has extended the known occupation sequence of the site from the mid Holocene to the terminal Pleistocene. The site was previously excavated in 1994 and a non-basal date of 7,000 cal. BP was recorded. Significantly, the chronostratigraphic sequence represented in the earlier excavation is substantially different to the recent excavation demonstrating stratigraphic variation within a relatively small rock shelter and the need for extensive inter- and intersite and intrasite sampling prior to modeling regional occupation patterning.
Situated at the western edge of Torres Strait, the island of Ngiangu has played an important role... more Situated at the western edge of Torres Strait, the island of Ngiangu has played an important role in the colonial and
maritime history of Australia for nearly two centuries. erhaps best known as a European ‘Post Office’, the island has also acted as a critical navigational marker, a refuge for shipwrecked mariners and a strategic monitoring station
during World War II. The island features a remarkable collection of historical inscriptions that bear witness to these
multiple phases of European presence on the island. Using systematically collected data from Queensland Museum
expeditions to the island in 1985 and 1990 we examine and contextualise the historical inscription assemblage. Our
results reveal how historical inscriptions were used to inscribe the island’s landscape during three distinct phases of use, as well as explore patterns of content and continuity in the assemblage. We conclude by considering the potential
of these inscriptions to provide insight into notions of memory and memorialisation.
Session convened for IFRAO Congress, Valle Camonica 2018. Lists all papers and abstracts for this session, 2018
It can be argued that rock art is likely to reflect moments of culture-contact that has occurred ... more It can be argued that rock art is likely to reflect moments of culture-contact that has occurred between very different cultural groups throughout human history. This session examines the evidence of culture-contact that was experienced by Indigenous and First Nation peoples during the more recent phases of European colonisation that took place in many regions of the world. In particular this session draws on the 'subaltern history movement' or 'history told from below' where the historiographic writing has questioned dominant nationalist narratives where they represent only the history of 'elites' or the colonial state. There is greater understanding from this historical research of the ways that Indigenous and First Nation peoples engaged with the colonial state and settler society. The objective is to draw attention to the differing Indigenous and First Nation people's understandings of colonialism by bringing together global examples of the colonisation experiences as demonstrated in their rock art. Rock art produced during colonial periods of history illustrate distinct maritime and terrestrial themes including ships, structures, wagons, objects, firearms, introduced animals and various scenes of interaction notably with an emphasis on conflict. Therefore we would like to invite papers that investigate rock art from this colonial period and have explored the narratives that were being communicated by the production of these rock art assemblages.
Anthropomorphic Wanjina figures are pervasive in public perceptions of rock art in the Kimberley;... more Anthropomorphic Wanjina figures are pervasive in public perceptions of rock art in the Kimberley; and for some of the linguistic groups these figures are central to their identity, law and relationship with the land. In the southern Kimberley we see Waliarri, which are Bunuba figures similar to Wanjina, but they are not prolific. This paper explores the extent to which Waliarri and other unique anthropomorphs and zoomorphs define the identity of the contemporary Bunuba and Gooniyandi peoples, and deconstructs the non-unique elements of anthropomorphs that are shared with western neighbours to define the liminal areas between the southern and western Kimberley.
The Waliarri is a distinctive polychrome anthropomorph depicted in rockshelters in Bunuba country... more The Waliarri is a distinctive polychrome anthropomorph depicted in rockshelters in Bunuba country in the southern Kimberley, Western Australia, with echoes across the region. The distinctive headdress and facial features, full bodies and large hands and feet make it stand out from other motifs in rockshelters that have been occupied for more than forty thousand years (McConnell and O'Connor 1997; O'Connor and Fankhauser 2001); but the Waliarri were not the first anthropomorphs in Bunuba country. Though the Waliarri themselves changed over time, and have a number of contemporary stylistic variations, they are preceded by monochrome and bichrome anthropomorphs, sometimes referred to as Mamo. This paper explores the transition from the old to the new styles at two significant rockshelters in Bunuba country, where anthropomorphs dominate the assemblages, to suggest how Bunuba motif and stylistic choices in rock art symbolise changing relationships in the southern Kimberley.
ABSTRACT
The Japanese occupation of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean
has been little mentione... more ABSTRACT The Japanese occupation of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean has been little mentioned in Australian wartime histories. There is scant reference during Australian memorials or in historical publications about the island’s experiences during the World War II (WWII), when ties with Australia were close. Christmas Island is 488 km from Jakarta and in WWII was in a key position between Japanese-occupied Papua New Guinea and the Indian subcontinent, the coveted next step in Japanese control of the Indian Ocean during this major conflict. Highly strategic, but poorly defended, the island fell to the Japanese in early 1942, and was occupied for 3 years. Recording and reporting on the remains of the Japanese occupation of Christmas Island places the island and its people more securely within the Australian wartime narrative, and within the pantheon of occupied territories.
Australia is not unique in identifying the gap between the skillset required to work in the archa... more Australia is not unique in identifying the gap between the skillset required to work in the archaeology profession and the skills provided during a standard archaeology degree. The most significant and enduring gap has been identified by the students themselves; the practical application of archaeological field skills. In Western Australia, students have taken the initiative, and moved away from the academic world, to develop a practical model for supervised , structured fieldwork that increases practice opportunities and, consequently, their skills
Christmas and other festivities associated with the winter solstice are a wonderful opportunity t... more Christmas and other festivities associated with the winter solstice are a wonderful opportunity to imagine changes. At IJSRA, we work everyday on a voluntary basis to transform the academic publishing landscape, in our firm belief that authors should not have to pay for publishing, and that making research freely available to a global readership help address growing (academic) inequalities worldwide. We aim to make an impact through an independent, unaffiliated, open-access student forum, without any submission, publication, or subscription fees.
Therefore, what better time to publish our second issue that in this merry Christmas Eve. We have an amazing variety of contents, including original fieldwork in Botswana, a model for undergraduate skills development, Indo-Greek coinage, heritage legislation in the Philippines, medieval perceptions and attitudes to health, a reassessment of Natufian sedentism, a Big Data cross-cultural analysis, a book review, and reviews of many conferences! We hope you enjoy reading these outstanding examples of student scholarship!
We are now accepting submissions for our third issues; we will be reviewing manuscripts on a rolling basis, so submit when you're ready! Recommended deadline: March 15th
As part of our constant efforts to reach as wide an audience as possible, we are always looking for people with diverse research interests to join our growing international team. If you are committed to improve the presence of excellent student scholarship in archaeology, please do get in touch!
The prolific rock art of northern Australia has attracted considerable attention, with research o... more The prolific rock art of northern Australia has attracted considerable attention, with research on X-ray art, the Wanjina and Gwion Gwion as widespread as the art itself. In the southern Kimberley, collaborative research with the Bunuba and Gooniyandi peoples, has recorded a large assemblage of distinct and diverse rock art, that is little publicised, and – until now - never systematically recorded. In a landscape occupied by the Bunuba and Gooniyandi peoples for more than 40,000 years the multiple layers in the rock are important and extant markers of occupation and change. The distribution, motif choice, superimposition, and stylistic elements of the recorded assemblage show differences in the social lifeways of Bunuba and Gooniyandi peoples, including the ways in which identity and belief systems are expressed through the rock art over time and space.
Re-excavation of a shelter in Windjana Gorge National Park, Southern Kimberley has extended
the k... more Re-excavation of a shelter in Windjana Gorge National Park, Southern Kimberley has extended the known occupation sequence of the site from the mid Holocene to the terminal Pleistocene. The site was previously excavated in 1994 and a non-basal date of 7,000 cal. BP was recorded. Significantly, the chronostratigraphic sequence represented in the earlier excavation is substantially different to the recent excavation demonstrating stratigraphic variation within a relatively small rock shelter and the need for extensive inter- and intersite and intrasite sampling prior to modeling regional occupation patterning.
Situated at the western edge of Torres Strait, the island of Ngiangu has played an important role... more Situated at the western edge of Torres Strait, the island of Ngiangu has played an important role in the colonial and
maritime history of Australia for nearly two centuries. erhaps best known as a European ‘Post Office’, the island has also acted as a critical navigational marker, a refuge for shipwrecked mariners and a strategic monitoring station
during World War II. The island features a remarkable collection of historical inscriptions that bear witness to these
multiple phases of European presence on the island. Using systematically collected data from Queensland Museum
expeditions to the island in 1985 and 1990 we examine and contextualise the historical inscription assemblage. Our
results reveal how historical inscriptions were used to inscribe the island’s landscape during three distinct phases of use, as well as explore patterns of content and continuity in the assemblage. We conclude by considering the potential
of these inscriptions to provide insight into notions of memory and memorialisation.
Session convened for IFRAO Congress, Valle Camonica 2018. Lists all papers and abstracts for this session, 2018
It can be argued that rock art is likely to reflect moments of culture-contact that has occurred ... more It can be argued that rock art is likely to reflect moments of culture-contact that has occurred between very different cultural groups throughout human history. This session examines the evidence of culture-contact that was experienced by Indigenous and First Nation peoples during the more recent phases of European colonisation that took place in many regions of the world. In particular this session draws on the 'subaltern history movement' or 'history told from below' where the historiographic writing has questioned dominant nationalist narratives where they represent only the history of 'elites' or the colonial state. There is greater understanding from this historical research of the ways that Indigenous and First Nation peoples engaged with the colonial state and settler society. The objective is to draw attention to the differing Indigenous and First Nation people's understandings of colonialism by bringing together global examples of the colonisation experiences as demonstrated in their rock art. Rock art produced during colonial periods of history illustrate distinct maritime and terrestrial themes including ships, structures, wagons, objects, firearms, introduced animals and various scenes of interaction notably with an emphasis on conflict. Therefore we would like to invite papers that investigate rock art from this colonial period and have explored the narratives that were being communicated by the production of these rock art assemblages.
Anthropomorphic Wanjina figures are pervasive in public perceptions of rock art in the Kimberley;... more Anthropomorphic Wanjina figures are pervasive in public perceptions of rock art in the Kimberley; and for some of the linguistic groups these figures are central to their identity, law and relationship with the land. In the southern Kimberley we see Waliarri, which are Bunuba figures similar to Wanjina, but they are not prolific. This paper explores the extent to which Waliarri and other unique anthropomorphs and zoomorphs define the identity of the contemporary Bunuba and Gooniyandi peoples, and deconstructs the non-unique elements of anthropomorphs that are shared with western neighbours to define the liminal areas between the southern and western Kimberley.
The Waliarri is a distinctive polychrome anthropomorph depicted in rockshelters in Bunuba country... more The Waliarri is a distinctive polychrome anthropomorph depicted in rockshelters in Bunuba country in the southern Kimberley, Western Australia, with echoes across the region. The distinctive headdress and facial features, full bodies and large hands and feet make it stand out from other motifs in rockshelters that have been occupied for more than forty thousand years (McConnell and O'Connor 1997; O'Connor and Fankhauser 2001); but the Waliarri were not the first anthropomorphs in Bunuba country. Though the Waliarri themselves changed over time, and have a number of contemporary stylistic variations, they are preceded by monochrome and bichrome anthropomorphs, sometimes referred to as Mamo. This paper explores the transition from the old to the new styles at two significant rockshelters in Bunuba country, where anthropomorphs dominate the assemblages, to suggest how Bunuba motif and stylistic choices in rock art symbolise changing relationships in the southern Kimberley.
The challenges of positioning rock art within a framework of cultural change and exchange are con... more The challenges of positioning rock art within a framework of cultural change and exchange are considerably reduced when the art is datable. In Bunuba country in the southern Kimberley, pigment art dominates and rock art styles for anthropomorphs offer insight into identity and cultural exchange. New research and the application of innovative dating techniques now offer the opportunity to give these styles, and other rock art motifs, time depth. This poster presents the first results of the pigment dating applied to the anthropomorph stylistic sequence identified at a large and densely painted rock art site in the heart of Bunuba country.
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Papers
The Japanese occupation of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean
has been little mentioned in Australian wartime histories. There is
scant reference during Australian memorials or in historical publications
about the island’s experiences during the World War II
(WWII), when ties with Australia were close. Christmas Island is
488 km from Jakarta and in WWII was in a key position between
Japanese-occupied Papua New Guinea and the Indian subcontinent,
the coveted next step in Japanese control of the Indian
Ocean during this major conflict. Highly strategic, but poorly
defended, the island fell to the Japanese in early 1942, and was
occupied for 3 years. Recording and reporting on the remains of the
Japanese occupation of Christmas Island places the island and its
people more securely within the Australian wartime narrative, and
within the pantheon of occupied territories.
At IJSRA, we work everyday on a voluntary basis to transform the academic publishing landscape, in our firm belief that authors should not have to pay for publishing, and that making research freely available to a global readership help address growing (academic) inequalities worldwide.
We aim to make an impact through an independent, unaffiliated, open-access student forum, without any submission, publication, or subscription fees.
Therefore, what better time to publish our second issue that in this merry Christmas Eve. We have an amazing variety of contents, including original fieldwork in Botswana, a model for undergraduate skills development, Indo-Greek coinage, heritage legislation in the Philippines, medieval perceptions and attitudes to health, a reassessment of Natufian sedentism, a Big Data cross-cultural analysis, a book review, and reviews of many conferences! We hope you enjoy reading these outstanding examples of student scholarship!
We are now accepting submissions for our third issues; we will be reviewing manuscripts on a rolling basis, so submit when you're ready! Recommended deadline: March 15th
As part of our constant efforts to reach as wide an audience as possible, we are always looking for people with diverse research interests to join our growing international team. If you are committed to improve the presence of excellent student scholarship in archaeology, please do get in touch!
the known occupation sequence of the site from the mid Holocene to the terminal
Pleistocene. The site was previously excavated in 1994 and a non-basal date of 7,000 cal. BP
was recorded. Significantly, the chronostratigraphic sequence represented in the earlier excavation
is substantially different to the recent excavation demonstrating stratigraphic variation
within a relatively small rock shelter and the need for extensive inter- and intersite and intrasite
sampling prior to modeling regional occupation patterning.
maritime history of Australia for nearly two centuries. erhaps best known as a European ‘Post Office’, the island has also acted as a critical navigational marker, a refuge for shipwrecked mariners and a strategic monitoring station
during World War II. The island features a remarkable collection of historical inscriptions that bear witness to these
multiple phases of European presence on the island. Using systematically collected data from Queensland Museum
expeditions to the island in 1985 and 1990 we examine and contextualise the historical inscription assemblage. Our
results reveal how historical inscriptions were used to inscribe the island’s landscape during three distinct phases of use, as well as explore patterns of content and continuity in the assemblage. We conclude by considering the potential
of these inscriptions to provide insight into notions of memory and memorialisation.
Conference Presentations
Reports
The Japanese occupation of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean
has been little mentioned in Australian wartime histories. There is
scant reference during Australian memorials or in historical publications
about the island’s experiences during the World War II
(WWII), when ties with Australia were close. Christmas Island is
488 km from Jakarta and in WWII was in a key position between
Japanese-occupied Papua New Guinea and the Indian subcontinent,
the coveted next step in Japanese control of the Indian
Ocean during this major conflict. Highly strategic, but poorly
defended, the island fell to the Japanese in early 1942, and was
occupied for 3 years. Recording and reporting on the remains of the
Japanese occupation of Christmas Island places the island and its
people more securely within the Australian wartime narrative, and
within the pantheon of occupied territories.
At IJSRA, we work everyday on a voluntary basis to transform the academic publishing landscape, in our firm belief that authors should not have to pay for publishing, and that making research freely available to a global readership help address growing (academic) inequalities worldwide.
We aim to make an impact through an independent, unaffiliated, open-access student forum, without any submission, publication, or subscription fees.
Therefore, what better time to publish our second issue that in this merry Christmas Eve. We have an amazing variety of contents, including original fieldwork in Botswana, a model for undergraduate skills development, Indo-Greek coinage, heritage legislation in the Philippines, medieval perceptions and attitudes to health, a reassessment of Natufian sedentism, a Big Data cross-cultural analysis, a book review, and reviews of many conferences! We hope you enjoy reading these outstanding examples of student scholarship!
We are now accepting submissions for our third issues; we will be reviewing manuscripts on a rolling basis, so submit when you're ready! Recommended deadline: March 15th
As part of our constant efforts to reach as wide an audience as possible, we are always looking for people with diverse research interests to join our growing international team. If you are committed to improve the presence of excellent student scholarship in archaeology, please do get in touch!
the known occupation sequence of the site from the mid Holocene to the terminal
Pleistocene. The site was previously excavated in 1994 and a non-basal date of 7,000 cal. BP
was recorded. Significantly, the chronostratigraphic sequence represented in the earlier excavation
is substantially different to the recent excavation demonstrating stratigraphic variation
within a relatively small rock shelter and the need for extensive inter- and intersite and intrasite
sampling prior to modeling regional occupation patterning.
maritime history of Australia for nearly two centuries. erhaps best known as a European ‘Post Office’, the island has also acted as a critical navigational marker, a refuge for shipwrecked mariners and a strategic monitoring station
during World War II. The island features a remarkable collection of historical inscriptions that bear witness to these
multiple phases of European presence on the island. Using systematically collected data from Queensland Museum
expeditions to the island in 1985 and 1990 we examine and contextualise the historical inscription assemblage. Our
results reveal how historical inscriptions were used to inscribe the island’s landscape during three distinct phases of use, as well as explore patterns of content and continuity in the assemblage. We conclude by considering the potential
of these inscriptions to provide insight into notions of memory and memorialisation.