WEST KIMBERLEY PLACE REPORT - Department of Sustainability ...

Arrow 2008). At a number of Kimberley sites there are painted depictions of small
canoes with upswept bow and stern, paddled by Gwion Gwion/Girrigirro-like figures
(Walsh 2000, Crawford 2009). Crawford (2009) suggests that these paintings
represent Indonesian canoes seen by an Aboriginal artist, or artists, painted in the
post-glacial period, i.e. post 8,000 years BP when the sea level reached its present
level. He further suggests that the paintings probably relate to events within the last
400 years (Crawford 2009, 32). This view is contrary to Walsh's interpretation of
these paintings which he dates to before the last glacial maximum when the coastline
was between 50 and 200 kilometres away.
There are also images of watercraft from the post-European contact period including
what appears to be a dinghy propelled by oars with rowlocks, with three Wanjina-like
figures with pipes in their mouths (Crawford 1968, 2001; O'Connor and Arrow 2008).
Painted images of single and double masted boats, possibly pearling vessels, have
also been recorded by researchers in the area (Sledge 1978; O'Connor and Arrow
2008).
The remoteness of the area and the ruggedness of the terrain have meant few
systematic surveys of the rock art. Grahame Walsh recorded the location and
photographically chronicled thousands of painted rock art images across the
Kimberley study area, but these details are not available to other researchers.
The rock paintings of the Wanjina-Wunggurr homeland and the Balanggarra
native title claim area have outstanding heritage value to the nation under
criterion (c) for their potential to yield information that will contribute to an
understanding of climate change and species extinction; early Aboriginal
material culture and technology development; and the interactions between
Aboriginal people and outsiders.
CONTACT, CHANGE AND CONTINUITY
Potential to yield further information on Indonesian-Aboriginal interaction
The west Kimberley is in a strategic geographical position to answer a range of
important archaeological research questions regarding past Asian-Australian
interaction. Evidence for Indonesian contact comes from documentary sources,
Aboriginal oral traditions and archaeological sites.
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the west Kimberley region was visited by
Indonesian fishermen, commonly referred to as Macassans. For perhaps hundreds of
years, Indonesians came to harvest marine resources including pearl and trochus shell,
turtle shell, clam meat, shark fins and trepang, also known as sea cucumber or bêchede-mer
(Morwood 2002). Macassar (Ujung Pandang) in Sulawesi was the main port
of origin for many of the boats that plied the waters between the Indonesian
archipelago and Australia to collect and process their annual harvest of trepang to sell
to the Chinese who seem uniquely to have appreciated their special qualities (Clarke
2000, Russell 2004).
The social and cultural interactions between these Macassan voyagers and the
Aboriginal people of Arnhem Land and Groote Eylandt are well documented through
the archaeological record and historical accounts, particularly those of the Aboriginal
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