Addressing Neglected Narratives Through The Maritime Cultural Landscape Of Point Pearce Aboriginal Mission/Burgiyana, South Australia

Summary

This paper presents results of research based upon an oral history, archaeological and archival case study of the maritime activities at Point Pearce Aboriginal Mission/Burgiyana in South Australia—the traditional land of the Narungga people. Point Pearce was established in 1868 and has been self-managed by the community since 1966, forming the historical time period for this study; however the research also draws on pre-contact knowledges. This case study was used to assess whether the maritime cultural landscape framework, a Western concept developed in the maritime archaeology sub-discipline, is applicable to Indigenous missions. The results of research at Point Pearce/Burgiyana found that care must be taken when applying maritime archaeological theories and associated attitudes to Indigenous archaeology (‘with, for and by’ Indigenous peoples). However, the application of a Western framework did contribute towards the decolonisation of maritime archaeology by accommodating the beliefs, knowledges and lived experiences of Indigenous peoples.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Legacy data from maritime archaeological sites in Western Australia   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

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PaperId(s): 235