Author: Adrian Mollenmans
Mollenmans, Adrian, 2024 ‘A most sacred part of our land’ An exploration of ethnohistory, archaeology, palaeogeography and Narungga knowledges in relation to Point Pearce Peninsula/Burgiyana and adjacent islands on Yorke Peninsula/Guuranda, South Australia., Flinders University, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
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This research provides a preliminary chronology for the coastal and island archaeology of Yorke Peninsula/Guuranda, South Australia, with a focus on Point Pearce Peninsula/Burgiyana and Wardang Island/Waraldi case study area in Spencer Gulf. Nine marine shell, one sediment sample and one sample of burnt calcrete were collected from five Narungga heritage sites on Point Pearce Peninsula/Burgiyana. Eight marine shell and one eggshell sample were collected from three Narungga heritage sites on Wardang Island/Waraldi. Sample dates for this research, reveal shellfish resource use spanning 8,000 years following the formation of present-day Spencer Gulf as a result of post-glacial marine transgression during the Holocene.
This is the first work that provides any significant work on chronology on Yorke Peninsula/Guuranda and provides significant understanding of the case study area which is particularly significant for Narungga people. These results relate to Narungga knowledges about the formation of Yorke Peninsula/Guuranda and its islands as well as oral histories about places on Point Pearce Peninsula/Burgiyana and Wardang Island/Waraldi.
Marine transgression modelling and geomorphological observations undertaken during this research also provide insights into the impact on the Narungga Aboriginal coastal heritage of Yorke Peninsula/Guuranda today and in the past. This is particularly important in light of present-day climate change and predicted future sea-level rise and the impacts this may have on coastal archaeological heritage in the future.
Keywords: Australia, Yorke Peninsula/Guuranda, Aboriginal heritage, climate change, marine transgression, islands, palaeogeography, marine shell, radiocarbon
Subject: Archaeology thesis
Thesis type: Doctor of Philosophy
Completed: 2024
School: College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Supervisor: Amy Roberts