Aboriginal marine subsistence foraging flexibility in a dynamic estuarine environment: The late development of Tin Can Inlet (southeast Queensland) middens revisited

Tam Smith,Ian J Mcniven

doi:10.25120/qar.22.2019.3670

Abstract

Although the sea arrived in southeast Queensland around 8000 years ago, most estuarine middens date to the past 1000 years. An example is midden deposits dating to the past 400 years forming the upper levels of Sites 62 and 75b from Tin Can Inlet located immediately south of the Fraser Island (K’gari) World Heritage Area. Both sites were excavated and analysed in the 1980s. This paper revisits these results following a detailed re-analysis of midden materials and new insights on regional sea level changes. Taking an historical ecology approach, species-specific habitat requirements and associated substrate sediment dynamics help explain similarities and differences between the two midden shell assemblages. Environmental factors and the location of both sites on landforms that formed following sea level fall over the past 2000 years help explain why the basal levels of both sites are probably <1000–1500 years old. Documenting pre-2000-year-old Aboriginal use of Tin Can Inlet will need to target more elevated inland dune deposits (>5m ASL) fronting the mid-Holocene sea level highstand palaeoshoreline.

Highlights

The archaeological record of subtropical southeast Queensland is one of the most intensively studied coastal regions in Australia (Ulm and Hall 1996; McNiven 2006)
The use of numbers of identifiable specimens (NISP) and minimum number of individuals (MNI) allowed for calculation of the fragmentation ratio (NISP:MNI) for individual taxa, which may reflect the level of intensity of site use, while acknowledging morphological differences between taxa that may affect fragmentation rates, as well as micro-structural differences that can assist particular taxa to resist crushing or treadage
This paper has shown the potential value of an historical ecology approach to southeast Queensland coastal archaeology

Summary

Introduction

The archaeological record of subtropical southeast Queensland is one of the most intensively studied coastal regions in Australia (Ulm and Hall 1996; McNiven 2006). McNiven (1989, 2006) argued that the greater antiquity of estuarine middens may relate to the higher marine resource productivity of estuarine areas compared to surf beach areas. This relatively higher productivity of estuarine areas relates to greater quantities and varieties of marine organisms (mainly shellfish and fish). Archaeological research on excavated and radiocarbon-dated estuarine middens in southeast Queensland has focused on Moreton Bay and questions of chronology and the general issue of sea level change (e.g. Ulm and Hall 1996). To the north of Moreton Bay, social factors have been implicated in late Holocene onset of estuarine middens along the Maroochy River (McNiven 1989) and Tin Can Bay (McNiven 1991a)

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