Australian Archaeology

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Australian Archaeology

Archived at Flinders University: dspace.flinders.edu.au

Full Citation Details:

Hughes, P.J. Sullivan, M.E. & Branagan, D.F. 1978. Are there

prehistoric shell middens on Rottwest Island? 'Australian

Archaeology', no.8, 158-161.

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J o n e s , Rhys 1971 Rocky Cape and t h e problem of t h e Tasmanians.

Unpublished PhD t h e s i s , U n i v e r s i t y of Sydney

Legge, R.W. 1927 Notes on a s e r i e s of 'Pounders' from C e r t a i n L o c a l i t i e s of t h e West Coast o f Tasmania.

Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania,

25-8

Stockton, Jim 1976 The Management and D i s t r i b u t i o n of A b o r i g i n a l Archaeological S i t e s i n Tasmania. E x t r a c t from

Cwnuktive Report, S i t e s of Signi f i a n c e Survey, Tasmania

S u t h e r l a n d , F. L. 1972 The c l a s s i f i c a t i o n , d i s t r i b u t i o n , a n a l y s i s and s o u r c e s of m a t e r i a l s i n f l a k e d s t o n e implements o f Tasmanian Aborigines.

Records of t h e Queen Victoria

Museum, no. 42. Launces ton

Department

of

Prehistory

The AustraZian National University

A R E T H E R E P R E H I S T O R I C S H E L L M I D D E N S O N R O T T W E S T I S L A N D ?

P. J .

Hughes '

^M.E.

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^D.F.

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I n August 1973, d u r i n g a one-day b i k e and bus t o u r of R o t t n e s t I s l a n d , we observed a number of d i f f e r e n t t y p e s o f s h e l l bed. The most massive of t h e s e were s e e n around t h e l a k e s a t t h e e a s t e r n end of t h e i s l a n d and t h e r e i s no doubt t h a t t h e s e a r e n a t u r a l marine s h e l l beds. However elsewhere s h e l l y d e p o s i t s were s e e n whose o r i g i n we could n o t determine with c e r t a i n t y . A number o f midden- l i k e l e n s e s o f s h e l l were exposed i n road s e c t i o n s , p a r t i c u l a r l y a l o n g t h e n o r t h s i d e of t h e i s l a n d . S e v e r a l t h i n s c a t t e r s of s h e l l , s o w a s s o c i a t e d with b i r d bone, were s e e n a t t h e w e s t e r n end o f t h e i s l a n d . Most of t h e s e were exposed i n b l o w o u t s , e i t h e r

i n s i t u

o r d e f l a t e d , b u t i n one i n s t a n c e s h e l l and b i r d bone were found i n s i d e a s m a l l s h e l t e r formed i n a e o l i a n c a l c a r e n i t e . A l l of t h e s e d e p o s i t s d i s p l a y e d some of t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of A b o r i g i n a l s h e l l middens;

n e v e r t h e l e s s we would perhaps have d i s m i s s e d t h i s o r i g i n b u t f o r t h e d i s c o v e r y of a p a r t i c u l a r l y e x t e n s i v e d e p o s i t on a s m a l l promotory j u s t west o f P a r k e r P o i n t ( F i g . 1 ) .

T h i s promontory c o n s i s t s of a bench, a b o u t 200 m2 and 1-3 m above t h e w a t e r , c u t i n t o a e o l i a n c a l c a r e n i t e . The s h e l l d e p o s i t

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FIGURE 1

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d i s c u s s e d i n C o u t t s ( 1 9 6 6 ) , G i l l (1951) and Hughes a n d S u l l i v a n (1974) we conclude t h a t t h i s d e p o s i t i s d e f i n i t e l y n o t a n a t u r a l marine s h e l l b e d , r a t h e r i t h a s most o f t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f a s h e l l midden which h a s been e r o d e d a n d reworked by wave a c t i o n around i t s seaward margin. The d e p o s i t is c h a r a c t e r i s e d by l a r g e whole and b r o k e n mature g a s t r o p o d s , p r e d o m i n a n t l y of t h e T u r b i n i d a e f a m i l y , and t h e p r e s e n c e o f numerous l a r g e o p e r c u l a i n d i c a t e s t h a t t h e s h e l l f i s h were b r o u g h t t o t h e s i t e whole. The upper 5 cm of t h e d e p o s i t c o n s i s t s e n t i r e l y o f w e a t h e r e d b l e a c h e d s h e l l . Below t h i s l e v e l i s w e l l p r e s e r v e d s h e l l i n a d a r k s a n d y m a t r i x r e s e m b l i n g t h a t of middens e l s e w h e r e i n A u s t r a l i a , where t h e d a r k c o l o u r is due t o f i n e l y d i v i d e d c h a r c o a l a n d humus d e r i v e d from t h e decay of p l a n t and animal r e f u s e . No f o r e i g n s t o n e o r bone was o b s e r v e d ; however t h e a p p a r e n t a b s e n c e o f s t o n e i s n o t s u r p r i s i n g , s i n c e t h e b e d r o c k o f b o t h t h e i s l a n d and t h e n e i g h b o u r i n g mainland s h o r e l i n e i s dominantly a e o l i a n c a l c a r e n i t e . The maximum

t h i c k n e s s of t h e d e p o s i t a p p e a r s t o e x c e e d 50 cm. The s l o p e s a b o v e t h i s s i t e a r e l i t t e r e d w i t h b l e a c h e d l a r g e o p e r c u l a e and o c c a s i o n a l l a r g e whole and broken g a s t r o p o d s

.

S u b s e q u e n t l y a n i n v e s t i g a t i n g team from t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f WA and t h e WA Museum v i s i t e d t h e i s l a n d , a p p a r e n t l y w i t h o u t f i n d i n g e v i d e n c e f o r A b o r i g i n a l s h e l l middens. While s h e l l d e p o s i t s . exposed i n road c u t t i n g s may w e l l b e t h e r e s u l t o f e a r l i e r r o a d c o n s t r u c t i o n , and t h i n s h e l l s c a t t e r s s u c h a s t h o s e a t t h e w e s t e r n end of t h e i s l a n d might w e l l have been b r o u g h t up a n d d e p o s i t e d by b i r d s o r European p i c n i c k e r s , d e p o s i t s s u c h a s t h a t d e s c r i b e d from n e a r P a r k e r P o i n t remain u n e x p l a i n e d a n d i t i s r e l e v a n t t o s p e c u l a t e on t h e p o s s i b i l i t y t h a t t h e y a r e A b o r i g i n a l i n o r i g i n .

A p l a u s i b l e e x p l a n a t i o n o f such d e p o s i t s i s t h a t t h e y

accumulated a s a r e s u l t of s h e l l g a t h e r i n g by A b o r i g i n a l c o n v i c t s c o n f i n e d t o t h e i s l a n d l a t e l a s t c e n t u r y . However t h e b l e a c h e d and w e a t h e r e d a p p e a r a n c e o f t h e upper p a r t o f t h e P a r k e r P o i n t d e p o s i t s u g g e s t s t h a t i t is more l i k e l y t o b e p r e h i s t o r i c .

I n t h i s c a s e one p o s s i b i l i t y is t h a t s u c h d e p o s i t s d a t e from a t i m e when t h e s e a was a p p r o a c h i n g i t s p r e s e n t l e v e l , y e t t h e i s l a n d was s t i l l c o n n e c t e d t o t h e mainland. A t a b o u t 7-8000 BP, when s u c h a c o n n e c t i o n s t i l l e x i s t e d , t h e r e m a i n d e r o f t h e i s l a n d ' s

c o a s t l i n e would have been a b o u t 0 . 5 t o 2 km from i t s p r e s e n t p o s i t i o n (Fig. l ) . Hence i t is p o s s i b l e , b u t somewhat u n l i k e l y , t h a t middens c o u l d h a v e accumulated on t h e p r e s e n t i s l a n d a t t h i s time.

S i n c e t h e p r e s e n t c o n f i g u r a t i o n o f t h e c o a s t l i n e was e s t a b l i s h e d , a journey t o t h e i s l a n d would have i n v o l v e d a w a t e r c r o s s i n g from t h e mainland o f a t l e a s t 1 9 km o r , by i s l a n d h o p p i n g v i a Garden a n d Carnec I s l a n d s , o f 1 6 km. It i s h i g h l y i m p r o b a b l e t h a t d e l i b e r a t e voyages o v e r s u c h l o n g d i s t a n c e s were u n d e r t a k e n ( J o n e s 1 9 7 7 : 3 3 0 ) , a l t h o u g h t h e p o s s i b i l i t y of a group o f c a s t a w a y s s u r v i v i n g f o r some time on t h e i s l a n d c a n n o t b e d i s c o u n t e d ( J o n e s 1977:355).

Another p o s s i b i l i t y i s t h a t t h e c o n f i g u r a t i o n o f t h e i s l a n d s and s h o a l s a l o n g t h e c a l c a r e n i t e dune r i d g e t h a t c o n n e c t e d R o t t n e s t I s l a n d t o t h e mainland v i a Carnec and Garden I s l a n d s h a s changed o v e r t h e 6000 y e a r s t h e s e a h a s s t o o d more o r l e s s a t i t s p r e s e n t

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l e v e l , a n d t h a t a c h a i n o f small, low i s l a n d s p e r s i s t e d a l o n g t h i s r i d g e f o r some t i m e a f t e r t h e r e c o v e r y of s e a l e v e l , a l l o w i n g c o m p a r a t i v e l y e a s y a c c e s s t o R o t t n e s t .

I f t h e s e d e p o s i t s p r o v e t o b e p r e h i s t o r i c s h e l l middens, q u e s t i o n s o f c u l t u r a l change a r i s e , a s t h e e t h n o g r a p h i c e v i d e n c e s u g g e s t s t h a t t h e A b o r i g i n e s of s o u t h w e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a d i d n o t u s e c a n o e s (Hallam 1 9 7 5 : 2 2 ) , n o r a p p a r e n t l y d i d t h e y e a t s h e l l f i s h (Hallam 1 9 7 2 : l l - 1 2 ; however, s e e a l s o D o r t c h 1977:125-6). Only e x c a v a t i o n of t h e P a r k e r P o i n t d e p o s i t o r o t h e r s i m i l a r d e p o s i t s t h a t m i g h t b e found i n a s y s t e m a t i c s u r v e y o f t h e i s l a n d s can r e s o l v e t h e q u e s t i o n o f t h e o r i g i n o f t h e s e s h e l l d e p o s i t s .

References

C o u t t s , P. J. F. 1966 F e a t u r e s of p r e h i s t o r i c c a m p s i t e s i n A u s t r a l i a .

Mankind

6:338-46

D o r t c h , C.E. 1977 E a r l y and l a t e s t o n e i n d u s t r i a l p h a s e s i n W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a .

I n

R.V. S. Wright ( e d . )

Stone Tools a s CuZturaZ Markers.

P r e h i s t . and Mat. C u l t . S e r . 12.

AIAS: C a n b e r r a . Pp. 104-32

G i l l , E.D. 1 9 5 1 A b o r i g i n a l k i t c h e n middens and marine s h e l l beds.

Mankind

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Hallam, S . J . 1972 An a r c h a e o l o g i c a l s u r v e y o f t h e P e r t h a r e a , W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a : a p r o g r e s s r e p o r t on a r t and a r t e f a c t s , d a t e s and demography.

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Fire and Hearth.

A u s t r a l i a n A b o r i g i n a l S t u d i e s no. 5 8 , AIAS : C a n b e r r a

Hughes, P. J. and M.E. S u l l i v a n 1974 The r e - d e p o s i t i o n o f midden m a t e r i a l b y s t o r m waves. J.

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I n

J. A l l e n , J. Golson and R. J o n e s ( e d s )

Australian Archaeology