Finding Fibre in the Rock Art and Ethnography of Western Arnhem Land, Northern Australia

Abstract

This paper discusses the complexities of the place of fibre objects in rock art research globally and presents a local Indigenous perspective on fibre in rock art from western Arn-hem Land (Northern Territory, Australia). The case studies use multiple strands of evidence, including rock art imagery, ethnographic data and museum collections. The findings show that the rock art contains depictions of fibre objects that have various culturally important roles and are indicators for ceremonial practices, and that these practices were taking place long into the past as well as recently. It highlights that depictions of fibre objects are deserving of a greater focus in rock art research in Australia and other parts of the world.

Full text

Rock Art Research 2021 - Volume 38, Number 1, pp. 48-58. E. MILLER
48
KEYWORDS: Fibre objects – Rock art – Archaeology – Ethnography – Arnhem Land – Australia
FINDING FIBRE IN THE ROCK ART AND
ETHNOGRAPHY OF WESTERN ARNHEM LAND,
NORTHERN AUSTRALIA
Emily Miller
Abstract. 
   -

    
     
     


Introduction



    

   


-
 







-

       
    


-










Figure 1. Map showing Kakadu National Park and
Oenpelli (Map by S. K. May).

49
Rock Art Research 2021 - Volume 38, Number 1, pp. 48-58. E. MILLER
The signicance of bre objects:
archaeological perspectives



-
   

    


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  

       

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 
-
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±±
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  
 
 
  
   
Aboriginal
American basketry
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      
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

      
   
that Bilum 
-
      



    

    
-



-

 
  



-

  


  Triodia-


  

-
  







Fibre objects in international rock art research


     




      








 

      



       
    

   

Rock Art Research 2021 - Volume 38, Number 1, pp. 48-58. E. MILLER
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    




-





  



-


     




-


Informed and formal methods in rock art research


-

 
    informed methods,


 formal methods 


  


that the researcher separates the art from its cultural




-



   
      
  
     



  -

   


       
-
    
  
  





 -


 
formalinformed
   -



     
       


       
    


 formal methods

informed methods
 
     


        -
Pandanus spiralis, Ficus
virens      




  
-




kun-yarlang
 mandjamun refers to
 

  

      -
      

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Rock Art Research 2021 - Volume 38, Number 1, pp. 48-58. E. MILLER

   

Ethnographic research on bre
objects in western Arnhem Land

     
      -


-

       
  

-
  

-

 

    
     Tribes of the
Northern Territory
  
-





      


      -


 
      
      


      



-

    



      
 



      

 



-

Twined together 



      
     Some baskets
are special ones




       -


   
-
     

 

-




Rock art in western Arnhem Land, northern Australia
      
       
        
     
      -
    


    


-
    



 





-


Rock Art Research 2021 - Volume 38, Number 1, pp. 48-58. E. MILLER
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  




Fibre objects in the rock art
of Kakadu and Djok Country


-




  
 

    
     


-
      





 




-
  



Case study one: ceremonial objects
   


-


 
 



      
        




        
      
      

Figure 2. Example of a biting bag from the Australian
Museum, Sydney (E010317) with PERAHU scale for
size reference (photograph by EM).
Figure 3. Photograph of young Aboriginal man from
Arnhem Land, wearing a power/biting bag. Photo-
graph by Paul Foelsche, provided by NT Archives;
hp://hdl.handle.net/10070/821.

53
Rock Art Research 2021 - Volume 38, Number 1, pp. 48-58. E. MILLER

called a ‘Ballduck’
   









-



     
     

  



   
   
  


  
      




    

-









  




Case study two: dierent depictions
-







  




        


  
     
-
Figure 4. Anthropomorph wearing power bag and
holding spearthrower. (A) Original photograph, (B)
same photograph with D-stretch YBK enhancement
and cropped (photograph from ‘Pathways: people,
landscape, and rock art in Djok Country’ project), (C)
tracing by EM.

Rock Art Research 2021 - Volume 38, Number 1, pp. 48-58. E. MILLER
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


   

     

 
-





-




  
      


-


        





 







Case study three: creation story

  




     
 
   

     
  


-
  
  





-

 





Figure 5. Anthropomorph with a ‘sh-shaped bag with zigzag handle’. (A) Original photograph, (B) same Pathways:
people, landscape, and rock art in Djok Country with D-stretch YBK enhancement (Photo: Pathways: people, landscape,
and rock art in Djok Country Project), (C) tracing by EM.

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Rock Art Research 2021 - Volume 38, Number 1, pp. 48-58. E. MILLER
 -

-





  -

    



    
     
     
 
    
  


-
 



       

Discussion and conclusion

 


     

-



-


  
-
        


 
     
     -

     


-


     

    -
      
   
-









       
   

      
  



      


       





     
 
       


Figure 6. Depiction of Yingarna on Injalak Hill (photograph by SKM).

Rock Art Research 2021 - Volume 38, Number 1, pp. 48-58. E. MILLER
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


 
  



 



  
   




  -


      
  
-




Acknowledgments

-

 



  

RAR

-





emily.miller@grithuni.edu.au

REFERENCES
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  Journal of the Royal
Society of Arts 
    -

   Rock Art Research 



L’Anthropologie 
BCSP
Bolleino del Centro Camuno di Studi Preistorici


Quaternary International
Sexual behaviour in
western Arnhem Land  -

 Man, land & myth in
north Australia: the Gunwinggu people. 
The speaking land: myth
and story in Aboriginal Australia
       
 Handbook of rock art research



 
Relating
to rock art in the contemporary world: navigating symbolism,
meaning and signicance

 
. 


The South African
Archaeological Bulletin

XXIII Valcamonica Symposium,


Puratava
     
  
 -
Journal of African Archaeology 



-


Burrunguy: Nourlangie Rock

Journey in time: the world’s longest con-
tinuing art tradition: the 50,000 year story of the Australian
Aboriginal rock art of Arnhem Land

Twined together: Kunmadj Njalehnjaleken, 


       Archaeological
Research in Kakadu National Park 

   The South African
Archaeological Bulletin 
-

 The Oxford handbook of the archaeology
and anthropology of rock art,

  -

57
Rock Art Research 2021 - Volume 38, Number 1, pp. 48-58. E. MILLER
  

Australian Archaeology
-
  
  
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany


     

-

SAGVNTVM. Papeles del Laboratorio de Arqueología
de Valencia

   
Archaeologies of art,

Australian Aboriginal art: the art of the Alli-
gator Rivers region, Northern Territory


  Two rituals in south and central Arnhem
Land
 Aboriginal men of high degree: initiation
and sorcery in the world’s oldest tradition

  The Australian Aborigines -

   -
 Transactions and Proceedings and Report of the Royal
Society of South Australia
-
World Archaeology

World Archaeology
Från Sagaholm till Bredarör – hällbildsstudier
2000–2004.-

To weave and sing: art, symbol, and narrative
in the South American rain forest. 


Antiquity



Scientic Reports
Twined together: Kunmadj Njalehnjaleken.
,
Textile: The Journal of Cloth
and Culture
-
Journal of Australian Studies
    

 
  
The South African Archaeological Bulletin
Prehistoric
sandals from northeastern Arizona: the Earl H. Morris and
Ann Axtell Morris research.
  






Archaeological research in Kakadu National Park
 


Twined together: Kunmadj Njalehnjaleken. 

      

The Oxford handbook of the archaeology and
anthropology of rock art

   Alligator Rivers Environ-
mental Fact-Finding Study: report of the archaeological survey


Oceania 69
Rock art of Easter Island: symbols of power, prayers
to the gods -

The rock paintings of Arnhem Land: social, eco-
logical, and material culture change in the Post-Glacial period.


World Archae-
ology 
-

The South African Archaeological Bulletin
Androgynous objects: string bags and
gender in central New Guinea-

Aboriginal American basketry: studies in a
textile art without machinery

  
 Twined Together: Kunmadj Nja-
lehnjaleken

Rock Art Research 


  
   
Rock Art Research

-


-
 Journal of Field Archaeology


     
Quaternary Science
Reviews 

 
-
American Antiquity 75




Rock Art Research 2021 - Volume 38, Number 1, pp. 48-58. E. MILLER
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Records


Prehistoric rock art of India-

-

Chungará (Arica) 
   
Her-
itage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology


    
Kronos

Antiquity 



 Arts
   -
 The South African Archaeological Bulletin 

The Alligator Rivers: prehistory and ecology
in western Arnhem Land 

Molded in the image of changing woman:
Navajo views on the human body and personhood

  

Chungará (Arica) 

  


Current Anthropology
  
  Plains Anthropolo-
gist 
Native tribes of the Northern Territory of
Australia
Prehistoric rock art of the Federation of Rhode-
sia and Nyasaland

Seeing the inside: bark painting in western
Arnhem Land

-
Animals
into art






 
Rock Art Research 
    

The
archaeology of rock-art


Man


  
Quaternary International 
Dress as social relations: an interpretation
of Bushman dress


Chungará (Arica) 
A black civilization. 

 
 Rock Art
Research 
Who is afraid of basketry: a guide to recording
basketry and cordage for archaeologists and ethnographers




Advances in World Archaeology


The South African
Archaeological Bulletin
RAR 38-1347