Aboriginal Remains Research Articles

How collections and reputation were built out of Tasmanian violence: thylacines (Thylacinus cynocephalus) and Aboriginal remains from Morton Allport (1830–1878)

Through European colonization, First Nations peoples were subjected to systematic and violent actions to dispossess them of their land and sovereignty. In Tasmania, this involved government-sponsored bounties as well as militaristic and diplomatic efforts to remove Indigenous peoples from the landscape. At the same time, and using similar rhetoric, thylacines ( Thylacinus cynocephalus (Harris, 1808)) suffered similarly from settler colonists. Thylacines (also known as Tasmanian tigers or Tasmanian wolves) were the largest marsupial carnivores of modern times, but became extinct in the twentieth century. There are several parallels between the treatment and representation of thylacines and Indigenous Tasmanian people, and how their remains were traded. This allows for analysis of how the environmental and human costs of the colonial project were enmeshed with practices of natural history. A central figure in the export of both thylacines and Indigenous remains from Tasmania was Morton Allport (1830–1878). This paper shows that Allport actively built his scientific reputation by exchanging specimens for honours. It asks whether this was a widespread model for other colonial figures who may have used specimen-based philanthropy to develop a form of soft power through associations with respected institutions such as learned societies, universities and museums. Figures like Allport played the role of a type of colonial settler-intermediary, valued for providing privileged access to specimens to the metropole. Allport also worked to augment scientific work in Tasmania and the economic reputation of the colony, demonstrating that the development of social networks and scientific reputations of colonial figures were entwined with the status and success of the colonies themselves.

The Appeal of Urgency: Extinction Discourses, Myths and the Private Collectors of Australian Aboriginal Human Remains

Extinction presents as a narrative thread in the collecting of Australian Aboriginal human remains in Britain and Australia in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Examples of this narrative are in the correspondence, research and the cataloguing methodologies of private individuals and their interaction with collecting institutions. This article focuses on three case studies that present three different private collecting profiles and intellectual environment interactions: Joseph Barnard Davis (1801–1881), Frederic William Lucas (1842–1932), and William Colin MacKenzie (1877–1938). All three have collections held by major collecting institutions in either Australia or England. These separate and diverse individuals are an important conduit to understanding why the application of the extinction narrative was a factor in transforming Australian Aboriginal human remains into prized specimens, sought by private individuals and public collecting institutions.

Insights Into Aboriginal Australian Mortuary Practices: Perspectives From Ancient DNA

Paleogenetics is a relatively new and promising field that has the potential to provide new information about past Indigenous social systems, including insights into the complexity of burial practices. We present results of the first ancient DNA (aDNA) investigation into traditional mortuary practices among Australian Aboriginal people with a focus on North-East Australia. We recovered mitochondrial and Y chromosome sequences from five ancestral Aboriginal Australian remains that were excavated from the Flinders Island group in Cape York, Queensland. Two of these individuals were sampled from disturbed beach burials, while the other three were from bundle burials located in rock shelters. Genomic analyses showed that individuals from all three rock shelter burials and one of the two beach burials had a close genealogical relationship to contemporary individuals from communities from Cape York. In contrast the remaining male individual, found buried on the beach, had a mitochondrial DNA sequence that suggested that he was not from this location but that he was closely related to people from central Queensland or New South Wales. In addition, this individual was associated with a distinctive burial practice to the other four people. It has been suggested that traditionally non-locals or lower status individuals were buried on beaches. Our findings suggest that theories put forward about beach burials being non-local, or less esteemed members of the community, can potentially be resolved through analyses of uniparental genomic data. Generally, these results support the suggestion often derived from ethnohistoric accounts that inequality in Indigenous Australian mortuary practices might be based on the status, sex, and/or age of individuals and may instead relate to place of geographic origin. There is, however, some departure from the traditional ethnohistoric account in that complex mortuary internments were also offered to female individuals of the community, with genomic analyses helping to confirm that the gender of one of the rockshelter internments was that of a young female.

Ancient genomes help to pinpoint origins of Aboriginal remains

DNA from Aboriginal Australian human remains could identify their native communities and enable repatriation. DNA from Aboriginal Australian human remains could identify their native communities and enable repatriation.

Healed Depressed Parasagittal Skull Fractures-A Feature of Archaic Australian Aboriginal Remains.

The skeletal remains of eight Australian Aboriginals with healed depressed skull fractures were examined. Male:female ratio 5:3; age range 20-60 yrs. Burial dates by 14 C dating in three cases were 500 years BP (n = 2) and 1300 BP. There were 13 healed depressed skull fractures manifested by shallow indentations of cortical bone and thinning of diploe, with no significant disturbance of the inner skull tables. Nine (69%) were located within 35 mm of the sagittal suture/midline. These lesions represent another acquired feature that might be helpful in suggesting that a skull is from a tribal Aboriginal individual and may be particularly useful if the remains are represented by only fragments of calvarium. While obviously not a finding specific to this population, these healed injuries would be consistent with the possible results of certain types of conflict behavior reported in traditional Aboriginal groups that involved formalized inflicted blunt head trauma.

Isolation and prominent aboriginal maternal legacy in the present-day population of La Gomera (Canary Islands).

The present-day population structure of La Gomera is outstanding in its high aboriginal heritage, the greatest in the Canary Islands. This was earlier confirmed by both mitochondrial DNA and autosomal analyses, although genetic drift due to the fifteenth century European colonization could not be excluded as the main factor responsible. The present mtDNA study of aboriginal remains and extant samples from the six municipal districts of the island indeed demonstrates that the pre-Hispanic colonization of La Gomera by North African people involved a strong founder event, shown by the high frequency of the indigenous Canarian U6b1a lineage in the aboriginal samples (65%). This value is even greater than that observed in the extant population (44%), which in turn is the highest of all the seven Canary Islands. In contrast to previous results obtained for the aboriginal populations of Tenerife and La Palma, haplogroups related to secondary waves of migration were not detected in La Gomera aborigines, indicating that isolation also had an important role in shaping the current population. The rugged relief of La Gomera divided into several distinct valleys probably promoted subsequent aboriginal intra-insular differentiation that has continued after the European colonization, as seen in the present-day population structure observed on the island.

A post-contact Aboriginal mortuary tree from southwestern Victoria, Australia

Here we document the investigation of the first Australian Aboriginal mortuary tree found since the early 20th century and the first studied by archaeologists and Aboriginal traditional owners. In 2001, a landowner discovered Aboriginal skeletal remains inside a fallen, dead tree while evaluating the tree’s potential as firewood, leading to the investigation of the site. The tree was located near Moyston, in southwestern Victoria, in traditional Djab Wurrung country and held the partial skeletons of three Aboriginal individuals—two adults and a child. Clay pipe-stem wear on several teeth belonging to the two adults indicates that these remains were broadly contemporaneous secondary placements from the early post-contact period (ca. a.d. 1835–1845). Along with five additional mortuary trees within 30 km of the Moyston tree, this practice constitutes a previously unknown traditional mortuary pattern and contributes to our understanding of the complex mortuary behavior of the Aboriginal people of southwestern Victoria.

Ramsay’s Regime: the Australian Museum and the Procurement of Aboriginal Bodies, c. 1874–1900

The Australian Museum during 1880s and 1890s encouraged the collection and trade of Aboriginal remains paying freelance collectors for skulls, skeletons and whole bodies. The Australian Museum's curator Edward Pierson Ramsay Ramsey would occasionally turn to a worldwide network of commercial dealers in natural science when he was unable to get specimens.

The maternal aborigine colonization of La Palma (Canary Islands)

Teeth from 38 aboriginal remains of La Palma (Canary Islands) were analyzed for external and endogenous mitochondrial DNA control region sequences and for diagnostic coding positions. Informative sequences were obtained from 30 individuals (78.9%). The majority of lineages (93%) were from West Eurasian origin, being the rest (7%) from sub-Saharan African ascription. The bulk of the aboriginal haplotypes had exact matches in North Africa (70%). However, the indigenous Canarian sub-type U6b1, also detected in La Palma, has not yet been found in North Africa, the cradle of the U6 expansion. The most abundant H1 clade in La Palma, defined by transition 16260, is also very rare in North Africa. This means that the exact region from which the ancestors of the Canarian aborigines came has not yet been sampled or that they have been replaced by later human migrations. The high gene diversity found in La Palma (95.2+/-2.3), which is one of the farthest islands from the African continent, is of the same level than the previously found in the central island of Tenerife (92.4+/-2.8). This is against the supposition that the islands were colonized from the continent by island hopping and posterior isolation. On the other hand, the great similarity found between the aboriginal populations of La Palma and Tenerife is against the idea of an island-by-island independent maritime colonization without secondary contacts. Our data better fit to an island model with frequent migrations between islands.

British Anatomists, Phrenologists and the Construction of the Aboriginal Race, c.1790–1830

AbstractThis article considers how Aboriginal Australian bodily remains were procured and understood in British anatomical and phrenological circles from the beginning of Australian colonization in 1788 to the early 1830s. These years saw an important shift in European thinking about race. The idea that racial differences were the result of humanity's diversification from one ancestral type through environmental modification came to be challenged by “transmutationist” theories that conceptualized racial characteristics as markers of biological peculiarities between different human‐like beings, quite possibly of primordial origin. The article shows how comparative anatomical analysis of Aboriginal Australian remains – often procured in violent circumstances – served to reinforce received environmentalist explanations of the nature and origins of human variation. However, the article also shows how in what they made of Aboriginal remains, subscribers to the concept of environmental degradation could be as fatalistic in their prognosis of the natural capacity of Aboriginal Australians to be progressively brought to embrace civilization as the transmutationist critics they began to encounter in earnest from the mid‐1830s. In the hands of metropolitan British anatomists and phrenologists, Aboriginal bones were used so as to generate knowledge that had a pernicious impact on Australia's Indigenous inhabitants.History Compass’ second PODCAST is now availableThe podcast is a discussion between Professor Stuart Ward, History Compass’ Australasian/Pacific editor, and Professor Paul Turnbull, a published History Compass author and editor. They examine Professor Turnbull’s published essay, entitled ‘British Anatomists, Phrenologists and the Construction of the Aboriginal Race, c.1790–1830’, and discuss the cognitive evolution of racial science in Europe, the theft of Indigenous cultural property from the colonial Pacific, and the repatriation of skeletal remains in Australian and European museums. Click here to launch the podcast: http://wiley.cdn.palmerhargreaves.com/podcast/hic3/hic3‐02.mp3 (mp3 file, 13.8MB, 28 minutes 44 seconds).

Radiographic study of the broadbeach aboriginal dentition.

This study forms part of a larger anthropological investigation of the Ngaraangbal Aboriginal Tribe's ancestral burial ground at Broadbeach, Australia. It examines the dentition, records the associated pathology in a noninvasive manner, and relates this to the likely subsistence diet of the tribe. The Broadbeach osteological collection was returned for reburial in 1985; however, radiographic and photographic records of 36 adult males were available. These form the basis of our study. The pathology noted in the study sample was compared with a representative sample (n = 38) of pre-European Aboriginal remains from throughout Queensland for verification purposes only. Rates of dental pathology and injury were calculated from the radiographic and photographic records. There was a significant rate of tooth-wear related intra-bony pathology (4.0%), moderate to severe alveolar bone loss, and heavy dental attrition, of which the mandibular posterior teeth were the most severely affected. Caries prevalence (0.8%) was low for hunter-gatherer populations. A large number of molar pulp chambers had a distinctive "cruciate" morphology resulting from the formation of secondary dentine and pulp stones. Injuries and abnormalities included upper central incisor avulsion (58.3%) and taurodontism. These results support the proposal that the Ngaraangbal tribe was a hunter-gatherer population subsisting on an abrasive diet that included marine foods.

APPLIED ANTHROPOLOGY: Disputing the Dead: U.S. Law on Aboriginal Remains and Grave Goods. H. Marcus Prim

American AnthropologistVolume 95, Issue 2 p. 449-450 APPLIED ANTHROPOLOGY: Disputing the Dead: U.S. Law on Aboriginal Remains and Grave Goods. H. Marcus Prim Phillip L. Walker, Phillip L. Walker University of California, Santa BarbaraSearch for more papers by this author Phillip L. Walker, Phillip L. Walker University of California, Santa BarbaraSearch for more papers by this author First published: June 1993 https://doi.org/10.1525/aa.1993.95.2.02a00130AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume95, Issue2June 1993Pages 449-450 RelatedInformation

Disputing the Dead: U. S. Law on Aboriginal Remains and Grave Goods

Each year the remains of hundreds of American Indians, Native Alaskans, and Native Hawaiians, along with artifacts such as potsherds and arrowheads, are discovered across the United States. As many as 600,000 aboriginal remains are currently held by museums, historical societies, universities, and private collections. To the scientific community they provide vital data for the study of human evolution. To many members of aboriginal communities, however, they are powerful spiritual and political symbols. The controversy over the disposition of aboriginal remains and grave gods lies at the heart of the ethnic conflict between aboriginal populations and European-American society. Disturbed by the looting of graves for artifacts, the maintenance of collections of remains for study and display to the public, and the disruption of ancestral graves in general, aborigines have sought recourse in the courts and the legislature. In Disputing the Dead, H. Marcus Price, III, explores the social processes at work as parties on both sides of the conflict manoeuver in the legal arena. This book compiles all relevant federal and state laws concerning the disposition of aboriginal remains. Price describes the laws themselves, the constitutional issues involved, the policies of federal agencies, and the practical application of the laws. An appendix contains a useful chart that allows for easy comparison among states concerning several basic issues of law. Price's book sheds new light on the role of law in social change and the mechanics of dispute resolution. His investigation of this conflict in America will serve as a model for the study of the complex social dynamics between ethnic minorities and dominant populations. General readers interested in this subject will find concise, well-organized background material. For all the attorneys, educators, social activists, administrators, and legislators who are touched by the controversy, Disputing the Dead should be of value.

Disputing the dead: U.S. law on aboriginal remains and grave goods

Disputing the dead: U.S. law on aboriginal remains and grave goods

The History and Archaeology of Ooldea Soak and Mission

Ooldea Soak is located on the southern fringe of the Great Victoria Desert, about 250 km northwest of Ceduna, South Australia. As one of the few permanent sources of freshwater in the region, it was an important drought refuge for desert Aborigines in prehistoric times and an important meeting place and ceremonial trade centre. In the late 19th century Ooldea served as a depot for a number of explorers, including Giles, Tietkins and Maurice. After 191 7 the Soak became an important watering point on the Trans-Australian Railway. The construction of the railway brought many of the desert Aborigines into contact with whites for the first time and many of the desert people eventually left their homelands and sought refuge at Ooldea. Daisy Bates came to Ooldea in 191 9 and camped near the siding, 6 km south of the Soak. She remained there for 15 years, providing food and medical treatment to the Aborigines. A United Aborigines Mission operated at the Soak from 1933 until its closure in 1952, when the Aborigines were transferred to Yalata Reserve near the coast. The Ooldea area is rich in Aboriginal and European archaeological remains. Preliminary field surveys and recording at Ooldea Soak and Mission and Bates' campsite were conducted in 1988 by ANUTech Pty Ltd, as part of a study of the history and archaeology of the Ooldea area for the Aboriginal Heritage Branch, Department of Environment and Planning, South Australia (Gara et al. 1988). The archaeology of Bates' Ooldea campsite is described elsewhere (Colley et al. 1989: this volume). This paper outlines results of a preliminary archaeological survey at Ooldea Soak and Mission and presents a summary of the ethnography and history of the area.

Two possible cases of trephination from Australia.

Cranial surgery has been performed for thousands of years among a wide range of cultures. Although the extent of its use has varied, ethnographically the operation has almost always been used as a form of medical treatment following cranial trauma or as a remedy for head pain. This paper describes two cases of cranial trauma on Australian Aboriginal remains from widely separated areas of the continent. The position and morphology of the trauma, as well as other associated features, suggest that these individuals underwent some form of surgical procedure. The features are similar to those found on accepted cases of trephination from elsewhere. If these individuals did undergo some sort of trephination, they are the first to be reported from Australia. Confirmation of the diagnosis would also increase our understanding of the geographical range of the technique in this part of Oceania, which was known previously only from parts of Melanesia.

The Skeleton Manual: A Handbook for the Identification of Aboriginal Skeletal Remains, by Alan Thorne and Anne Ross, illustrated by Minifred Mumford and Betsy-Jane Osborne

(1987). The Skeleton Manual: A Handbook for the Identification of Aboriginal Skeletal Remains, by Alan Thorne and Anne Ross, illustrated by Minifred Mumford and Betsy-Jane Osborne. Australian Archaeology: Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 80-82.

Prehistoric Human Skeletal Remains from Cowra and the Macquarie Marsh, New South Wales

We describe the finding of a skeleton in a cave near Cowra, New South Wales. For identification purposes we have examined the bones to determine if they were prehistoric Aboriginal remains, in which case they would come under the domain of the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) legislation and the local Aboriginal Land Council. If they were post-contact remains the police would be required to investigate. We also include a short description and the available measurements of a fragmentary skeleton recovered by Dan Witter (Regional Archaeologist, National Parks and Wildlife Service) from the region of the Macquarie Marsh (Witter 1985).

Aboriginal Skeletal Remains

Aboriginal Skeletal Remains

Aboriginal Remains and the Australian Museum

Council for Museum Anthropology newsletterVolume 7, Issue 4 p. 4-5 Free Access Aboriginal Remains and the Australian Museum R. J. Lampert, R. J. LampertSearch for more papers by this author R. J. Lampert, R. J. LampertSearch for more papers by this author First published: October 1983 https://doi.org/10.1525/mua.1983.7.4.4Citations: 1AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume7, Issue4October 1983Pages 4-5 RelatedInformation