This work is conducted in memory and respectfully honours the First Australian People,
the Aboriginal People of this land.
Why Archaeology, the scientific method, and archival professional practice are important in supporting Aboriginal First Nations Peoples’ Quest for Recognition and Sovereignty.
– A Presentation to the NSW Aboriginal Archaeology Future Forum 2024. Murrook Culture Centre. 18 October 2024.
On reflection, even though I was speaking to a room filled with archaeologists (with one archivist), I now know that I was directly speaking to the Aboriginal First Nations people present. I think now that the archaeologists are caught in the middle, and I’m trying to highlight how important their work in collaboration with Aboriginal people is, with regards to the aims and objectives of recognising and truly respecting Aboriginal people and their culture in this country. Unfortunately the system we currently have in the country is that Aboriginal people are employed and paid to destroy their own sites, to make way for a new development, whilst superficially recording the history of the place and “ticking the box” for everyone else. – Gionni Di Gravio OAM
– Aboriginal peoples were the original “archivists” of this land, they looked after this beautiful, beautiful land until 250 years ago when Europeans arrived and deprived them of their job.
– For thousands of years they looked after a “living archive”, and made sure that everything that was needed was bestowed to future generations.
– The techne and science on how to do it, i.e. their professional practice, they transmitted through generations through a universal and sophisticated natural educational process of oral tradition, rock and cave art, engravings, dance rituals, sign language and sound language.
– Then, on 22 August 1770 Lieutenant James Cook “At 6 Possession was taken of this Country in his Majesty’s Name [?] and this was announc’d from the shore by firing vollies and answered from the ship with Colours flying: the whole concluding with 3 cheers.”
– Europeans were now going to look after the land, and manage the living archive, through a written tradition.
– And you can see the results through clapped out river systems, environmental degradation, poor flood and fire management techniques, human carnage and extermination, war mongering, an extinction rate off the scale. And if that wasn’t bad enough, we are now about to divest critical thinking to AI and revive a toxic revival in nuclear energy to power it all .
– So, for Aboriginal peoples seeing the destruction of their living archive has been traumatic. And that trauma has been ongoing and is spreading to include many more people.
For more information please look at the Speech Notes for The Immortal Archive:
The Immortal Archive Accepted For Australian Society of Archivists Conference 2023
How Europeans Define an Evidential Record of Ongoing Value
In Australia, both at State and Federal levels, records are mainly defined within a European paradigm.
There is no formal recognition of Aboriginal knowledge or language as an oral tradition, or as its various modes of expression exist in the landscape, representing the cultural memory, tradition and rituals of the people.
Such modes of recording, do not fit the description as defined by our archives and record keeping institutions as “evidential records”.
Even though, physical evidence gathered at a crime scene for instance does constitute formal recognition as acceptable evidence.
For example, The National Archives of Australia defines a “record” as:-
“Any information created, sent and received in the course of carrying out the business of an agency. Records have many formats, including paper and electronic. They provide proof of what happened, when it happened and who made decisions.”
As you can see there is an emphasis on the paper and electronic (born digital records/archives). Another example, the New South Wales State Government states that a
“record means any document or other source of information compiled, recorded or stored in written form or on film, or by electronic process, or in any other manner or by any other means.”
So, in terms of Australian Aboriginal culture, which is estimated as being at least 50,000 years old, apparently none of it is officially considered as an evidential record/archive.
For more information see the following post:
Why is archaeology so important?
Records must be made
Records must be accurate
Records must be authentic
Records must have integrity
Records must be useable
“Characteristics of a record”, from the International Standard on Records Management ISO15489 (which was the original Australian standard, which later became the international standard).
These are the prerequisites that Aboriginal records will need to demonstrate in order to be “acceptable” evidence.
This is why archaeological digs are so important, as, they can demonstrate an authenticity that is backed up by a scientific methodology.
Anything on the surface is vulnerable to tampering, and so cannot be verified, unless there is some scientific “test” that can be applied to a pigment on the wall, or a specific context, such as inaccessibility, or location, that may warrant an acceptance that the rock art or engraving site was there from time immemorial.
Same for oral, and ritualistic cultural traditions.
An Example of An Archaeological Evidential Aboriginal Archive: The Palais Royale Dig 2009
The site in Newcastle West is now the biggest KFC site in Australia.
There were two teams of archaeologists working on the site, one studying the Aboriginal heritage of the site, the other, the European heritage. Both sets of reports are in the links below.
All official reports are also linked here in date order: https://hunterlivinghistories.com/key-documents/
In a test trench there were many thousands of stone tools by Aboriginal people living in Mulubinba (across 6,700 years) discovered there.
From around 1810 it was the location of the Government Farm and Cottage. It was here that the Reverend Lancelot Threlkeld stayed for a year in 1825, beginning work on documenting the Aboriginal language of the area, and creating the first Mission to the Aborigines at the time.
Remains of the Government Farm Re-discovered (August 25, 2009)
https://hunterlivinghistories.com/2009/08/25/remains-of-the-government-farm-re-discovered/
So, for the record, the Palais Royale dig has had some repercussions across the State and Nation, we are proud that the May 2011 news story and published reports from the former Palais site on the then Coal River Working Party (now Hunter Living Histories) site here:
Aboriginal Archaeological Report for former Palais site released (May 20, 2011)
https://hunterlivinghistories.com/2011/05/20/aboriginal-archaeological-report-for-former-palais-site-released/
Aboriginal Archaeological Report for former Palais site released
..helped to trigger enough community uproar for a review of the Act in June 2011 here:
NSW Upper House takes action for the sake of our Aboriginal Heritage (June 23, 2011)
https://hunterlivinghistories.com/2011/06/23/nsw-upper-house-takes-action-for-the-sake-of-our-aboriginal-heritage/
NSW Upper House takes action for the sake of our Aboriginal Heritage
After a trip to Parliament House to view the documents, our recommendations on Aboriginal Heritage reforms were published in August 2011 here:
Aboriginal Heritage Recommendations
https://hunterlivinghistories.com/2011/08/02/aboriginal-heritage-recommendations/
Rare Aboriginal Rock Art Across Sydney and Newcastle (Australia) faces threats
News program discusses the lack of real protection for Australian Aboriginal engraving and arte-factory sites across Sydney and Newcastle – original Broadcast date: 30th November 2012 – ABCTV 7.30 Report New South Wales (Australia)
Government Farm c1810 Archaeological site visit (March 27, 2012)
https://hunterlivinghistories.com/2012/03/27/government-farm-c1810-archaeological-site-visit/
Deep Time Project
Professional practice, why is it important?
Professional practice consists of the checks and balances that we need to do in order to safeguard ourselves from our own human failings and follies and delusions.
So, when professional practice is missing in an institution, or suffers lack of respect and commitment, then it has disastrous effects.
So professional practice keeps the planes in the air, and keeps our irreplaceable cultural heritage safe for future generations.
Gionni Di Gravio OAM
University Archivist, and Chair Hunter Living Histories