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The re-emergence of nganaparru (water buffalo) into the culture, landscape and rock art of western Arnhem Land

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2021

Sally K. May Open the ORCID record for Sally K. May [Opens in a new window] ,
Paul S.C. Taçon ,
Andrea Jalandoni Open the ORCID record for Andrea Jalandoni [Opens in a new window] ,
Joakim Goldhahn ,
Daryl Wesley ,
Roxanne Tsang  and
Kenneth Mangiru
Sally K. May*
Affiliation:
PERAHU, Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Australia
Paul S.C. Taçon
Affiliation:
PERAHU, Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Australia
Andrea Jalandoni
Affiliation:
PERAHU, Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Australia
Joakim Goldhahn
Affiliation:
Centre for Rock Art, Research + Management, University of Western Australia, Australia
Daryl Wesley
Affiliation:
College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Australia
Roxanne Tsang
Affiliation:
PERAHU, Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Australia
Kenneth Mangiru
Affiliation:
Njanjma Aboriginal Corporation, Northern Territory, Australia
*
*Author for correspondence ✉ [email protected]
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Abstract

The introduction of new animals into hunter-gatherer societies produces a variety of cultural responses. This article explores the role of rock art in western Arnhem Land, Australia, in helping to mediate contact-period changes in Indigenous society in the nineteenth century. The authors explore etic and emic perspectives on the ‘re-emergence’ of water buffalo into Aboriginal cultural life. Merging archaeological analysis, rock art and ethnographic accounts, the article demonstrates how such artworks were used as a tool for maintaining order in times of dramatic social change. The results of this research have significant implications for understanding how cultural groups and individuals worldwide used rock art during periods of upheaval.

Keywords

AustraliaArnhem Landwater buffalorock arthuman-animal relationshipscontact
Type
Research Article
Information
Antiquity , Volume 95 , Issue 383 , October 2021 , pp. 1298 - 1314
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Antiquity Publications Ltd.

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