Archaeological findings add new details to the record of ancient Aboriginal communities along the Murray River. 

New research by Flinders University researchers, conducted in partnership with the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation (RMMAC), has documented ancient archaeological sites on the cliff-tops in the region between Morgan and Overland Corner in South Australia.

“The ages of the sites were determined using a radiocarbon dating method and range from over 11,000 years old to recent times,” says Dr Craig Westell from Flinders University’s College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.
Researchers analysed shell middens at two sites - Pooginook Flat and Tanamee. 

These middens, essentially ancient leftovers from meals, contain shells of freshwater mussels that tell a story of Aboriginal presence and adaptation along the Murray over thousands of years.

Co-author Professor Amy Roberts says the “research supports previous evidence which has indicated that sites located along the Murray cliffs contain and preserve much of the oldest evidence of Aboriginal peopling along the Murray River corridor in South Australia”.

The oldest known Murray River site was recorded on a cliff line near Renmark during earlier research and was nearly 30,000 years old.

“It is always great to see the scientific evidence of our people being here so many years ago. This cements what we as Aboriginal people know; our Culture is one of survival,” says Sheryl Giles, a River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation community representative.

However, the authors note that many sites are eroding on the edge of the cliffs or are preserved in small sections of roadside reserves or on privately owned land.

“The conservation of these significant and informative cliff-top sites remains precarious and there is an imperative to protect the remaining sites,” says co-author and Flinders PhD candidate Mr Marc Fairhead.

They argue that informing the public and local land holders about the significance of these places is needed to ensure that this heritage is preserved and a greater understanding of Aboriginal life on Australia’s largest river system can be generated.

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