Next generations look to the past at Bundanon
August 2019
Aboriginal Community Support Team
Aboriginal Community Support Officer Noel Webster caught up with University of Wollongong School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences students to deliver an archaeological field school at Bundanon in late July.
The field school aimed to expose and familiarise students to archaeological techniques utilised to identify, record and analyse Aboriginal cultural heritage. This includes the fundamentals of archaeological survey (transects, landforms, etc.), site recording (GPS and recording forms) and test pitting (gridding out, selecting locations, undertaking excavation, and documenting findings).
An equally important aim is to expose students to the cultural relationship between Aboriginal communities and the landscape, and to engage meaningfully with the cultural landscape in archaeological interpretation.
On the first day, Noel took the students on a tour to share his knowledge of the local area, explaining to the students the synergies of connection across a cultural landscape. This way of thinking gave insight and a holistic view of relationships to Country for Aboriginal people along the south coast.
Throughout the week, Noel mentored young emerging Aboriginal leaders within the community to work alongside the students to also share local knowledge and cultural experiences.
“Our young people were exposed to a scientific approach to researching Country” Noel said.
“This was a reciprocal learning relationship with our young people learning new skills as well.”
During the field school five new sites at Bundanon were located including rock shelter and artefacts. A previous recorded site, grinding grooves was recorded with modern technology to produce 3D modelling via photogrammetry.
Local community were really excited to be working with the students in the basics of archaeological field methodologies and hope that this will foster a love of archaeology that extends beyond the walls of the university system.
Noel also used his cunning in an attempt to recruit a potential honours or Phd candidate to undertake research on a rare archaeological site type Noel has uncovered over the years wondering around his home on Yuin Country.
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