Regional variation in the material culture of hunters and gatherers : social and ecological approaches to ethnographic objects from Queensland, Australia

Best, Anne Finlay (1999) Regional variation in the material culture of hunters and gatherers : social and ecological approaches to ethnographic objects from Queensland, Australia. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.

Abstract

My concern is the spatial organisation of hunters and gatherers and how this is manifested through dissimilarities in the style of objects. I have tested for differences in Queensland Aboriginal material culture, using six categories of ethnographic artefacts (bags, boomerangs, message sticks, shields, spears and spearthrowers) and have used the neutral spatial template of drainage divisions against which to test for variation. The aim is to search for regionalisation of style. The study is broad-scale and it is not my purpose to look for ethnic, tribal or language group boundaries. Results show clear regionalisation in Queensland that broadly correlates with drainage divisions. The patterns are robust. The model presented is applicable to archaeological research which is concerned with distributions of style and how these are associated with the populations of past hunters and gatherers.

The primary data are 813 artefacts from selected UK and Australian museum collections. The objects date from the early contact period and were collected by explorers, colonial officials and anthropologists. Secondary sources include published and unpublished material, archaeology, rock art, early photographs and present day Aboriginal spokesmen.

Analysis of the data proceeds from the most broad-based presence/absence evidence and continues to examine and compare the morphological characteristics of the objects. At each stage, the findings are set against the regional model, whereby Queensland is divided into six geographical regions based on drainage divisions. The findings are considered against social and environmental models of style. I consider the impact that ecology plays on stylistic tradition and discuss the social role of style as a means of transmitting social information. I also consider the 'open' and 'closed' model which, in a hunter-gatherer context, has been linked to environmental conditions.

The conclusions of the analyses suggest that both environmental and social factors play an important part in stylistic tradition and stylistic choice. In many instances it is not possible to differentiate between these influences. I propose that there is no evidence to support the. 'closed' social model in Australia. However, in Aboriginal society - in all environments -there are 'closed' social elements. These relate to the transference of restricted knowledge (by males mostly) and are demonstrated through the spatial boundedness of male, ceremonial artefacts, in particular those associated with male combat. Other forms, notably 'female' items or 'male' objects closely connected with subsistence activities, may be less bounded. However, throughout Queensland, regional variation of style is clearly demonstrated.

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