A University of Queensland anthropologist has written a controversial new book which argues that Australian Aboriginal prehistory has been viewed in a narrow light by white historians.
Dr Harry Lourandos presents evidence suggesting that hunter-gatherer societies such as those of Australian Aborigines, and their socio-economic processes, are more complex than previously thought.
His book suggests more sedentary Aboriginal populations in the past 3000 years, a finding which has implications for land rights and other civil claims.
Dr Lourandos, of the University's Anthropology and Sociology Department, argues the case in a revisionist look at Australian prehistory, entitled Continent of Hunter Gatherers - New Perspectives in Australian Prehistory (Cambridge University Press).
The book, which is based on 20 years of scholarly study, challenges traditional perceptions of Australian Aboriginal prehistory for which archaeologists have found evidence dating back 40,000 years and more - about the time of the emergence of Modern Man.
Dr Lourandos said historians had traditionally seen Australia as a continent apart - a continent of hunter-gatherers. While other continents had hunter-gatherers, they were largely supplanted in time by agricultural communities.
However, the 'misconceived' historical view of Australian prehistory was of a conservative, unchanging society. His revisionist evidence indicated more complex societies showing more dynamic and changing patterns.
Dr Lourandos said his book was part of a wave of studies internationally revisiting hunter-gatherer societies and the way they are viewed.
The study also considers the significance of Australian prehistory to the study of prehistoric hunter-gatherers elsewhere in the world. In this context, the author argues that significant overlap existed between Australian hunter-gatherer societies and their contemporaries in Eurasia and North America.
'The Australian example fits neatly into the world example for several reasons,' he said.
'There was a loss of information about Australian prehistory during the colonial period and colonial anthropologists also provided a narrow view of Aboriginal society for political reasons.
'You have to remember that the basis of colonial societies is the appropriation of the lands of other people. This restricted or narrow viewpoint seemed to justify the depiction of Aboriginal society as that of ?simple' hunter-gatherers.'
Dr Lourandos said the natural environment had been seen as the major determinant of hunter-gatherer societies and Australian Aborigines had been seen as largely egalitarian and culturally homogeneous.
'Such an interpretation suggests that their prehistory shows few significant economic and demographic changes,' he said.
'However, I argue that changes are most pronounced in the past 3000 to 4000 years, indicating a denser and more sedentary population, and more complex socio-economic and political behaviours. There is evidence of quasi-agricultural practices and a closer parallel with agricultural societies.
'Archaeological evidence indicates that Aboriginal groups planted and husbanded the land and made resource management decisions. Examples include the use of grass seeds in arid and semi-arid zones, which were managed, planted and irrigated. Bread was made daily from these seeds, and seeds were also stored for long-term use and to support large-scale ceremonies.'
In his presentation of a range of prehistoric data, Dr Lourandos reviews archaeological and ethnohistorical evidence together with environmental, demographic and socially-oriented perspectives. He synthesises previous findings before presenting an original hypothesis.
'I have tried to suggest that socio-demographic factors such as population increases, and complex social interactions, indicate a more complex and costly use of resources and a more complex society than previously thought,' he said.
'For example, archaeological work in the Whitsundays indicates that during the past 3000 years, there were more intensive and complex patterns of marine exploitation. New equipment (such as harpoons) and more sophisticated methods for hunting and husbanding resources and deeper sea fish were developed.
'Aboriginal cave paintings in Cape York and Arnhem Land indicate changes in style in the past 3000 years, mirroring more complex, territorially-based societies.
'The paintings show an introduction of figuratively painted styles, and there are large regional variations between painting styles, suggesting more complex social groupings than those of a more homogeneous culture.
'The book provides hard information which indigenous people can interpret any way they want. These findings are important in terms of civil land rights and in attempts for indigenous people to re-establish themselves socially, politically and regionally.
'One of the most potent tools for establishing claims to territories and lands is via archaeological sites and past knowledge.
'Archaeology is an important tool in this struggle. Both archaeologists and anthropologists are used in negotiations in disputes over land between competing Aboriginal groups, and between Aboriginal and other Australian communities.'
Key debates addressed in the book include: the nature of initial colonisation; the role of Tasmania; the role of fire; the cause of faunal extinctions; the intensification debate; and horticultural origins in New Guinea and plant exploration in Australia.
Dr Lourandos, who has previously held posts at the University of Sydney and the University of New England, has given papers at several important international conferences on archaeology and anthropology. His articles on Australian Aboriginal archaeology have been published in journals including World Archaeology, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society and Journal of Archaeological Research.
For further information, contact Dr Lourandos, telephone 07 3365 3173.
