Oral Histories and Indigenous Rock Art

Abstract

Abstract Oral histories and life stories have always played a role, albeit an undervalued one, in Indigenous archaeologies. In this chapter, we explore how the process of documenting oral histories with Indigenous community members has influenced archaeological interpretations of rock art. Using case studies from Djok Country in Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia, we question how incorporating oral histories and life stories into field methodologies allows us to capture moments in time, personal histories, emotions associated with places and people, relationships to Country, and the role of rock art as a medium for intergenerational knowledge transfer. Building on our growing body of work relating to rock art and biography in western Arnhem Land, this chapter redirects the discussion to the fieldwork process and its local and broader academic influences. It is argued that oral history is key in conceptualizing and understanding Indigenous rock art, people’s lives, moments, memories, and emotions.