December 1999 David Rhodes, Taryn Debney and Mark Grist
AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE FOR PRE-CONTACT ABORIGINAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL VALUES
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- 7.2City of Maribyrnong: Areas of High Significance for Pre-Contact Aboriginal archaeological values
- 7.2.2Archaeological values
- 7.2.3Social Values
- 7.2.4Educational Value
7.0AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE FOR PRE-CONTACT ABORIGINAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL VALUES7.1Criteria for Significance AssessmentCriteria for significance assessment of heritage sites are set out in the Australia ICOMOS Charter for the Conservation of Places of Cultural Significance, which sets out guidelines for the significance assessment and management of places of cultural significance. Cultural significance is defined by Section 1.2 of the Burra Charter as “..scientific or social value for past, present or future generations.” In assessing the cultural values of a place, the Burra Charter requires assessment of social, scientific, educational and aesthetic values. These are discussed below in relation to the archaeological sites. The Burra Charter encompasses a concept of ‘Place’ as embodied in the fabric and material remains at a place. While this is appropriate for assessing material objects, to Aboriginal people it is sometimes less important than their overall relationship with the land. Aboriginal Australians have held a different religious and spiritual association with their landscape. Thus the actual material remains of past activities by Aboriginal people, while considered important, only constitute one aspect of a broader religious and cultural significance which the Australian landscape holds for Aboriginal people. As Aboriginal people enhance and re-discover their culture, this relationship takes on a contemporary significance which may be greater to some people than the material values of a site or place. Consequently, the expression of religious or spiritual values through the natural features of the landscape is also an important factor in the significance of an Aboriginal place or landscape containing Aboriginal material remains. 7.2City of Maribyrnong: Areas of High Significance for Pre-Contact Aboriginal archaeological values7.2.1IntroductionFour areas have been identified within the City of Maribyrnong which are considered to have high Aboriginal archaeological significance. Each area has sustained varying levels of disturbance, which makes those sites still present within the City of Maribyrnong extremely significant, as they represent a valuable and severely depleted resource. 7.2.2Archaeological valuesThe Aboriginal archaeological sites within the City of Maribyrnong are of archaeological and scientific significance because the sites occur within an area which is highly industrialised and are therefore relatively rare. They occur in very similar environmental landscapes and geomorphological conditions, and provide valuable information on how Aboriginal people were using the Maribyrnong River valley and surrounds. The sites are valuable because:
7.2.3Social ValuesToday, descendants of the Woi wurrung still live in the Melbourne area, and are chiefly represented by several families who are members of the Wurundjeri Tribe Land Compensation and Cultural Heritage Council Inc. The Wurundjeri Tribe Land Compensation and Cultural Heritage Council is an Aboriginal community group that has recognition under Commonwealth legislation as a statutory heritage authority. The Wurundjeri see themselves as the custodians of the lands and resources of their ancestors and feel they have a moral and religious obligation to look after the country of their ancestors, a role which is recognised in the legislation. The Wurundjeri are likely to view all Aboriginal archaeological sites and their landscape context as being the cultural property of, and having religious and spiritual significance for, contemporary Aboriginal people, irrespective of scientific values. The Wurundjeri Aboriginal community regards the Aboriginal archaeological sites within the Maribyrnong River valley as a significant part of their heritage and a direct and visible link with their past. They are also resources which can be used for interpretive purposes, and are particularly valuable since information about Aboriginal movements and traditions has largely been lost, because clashes between Aboriginal groups and European settlers were especially violent in the western region, resulting in the decimation of the local Aboriginal population. The river was a boundary between the Marin balug and the Yallukit willam clans and was probably an important gathering point for social, economic and ceremonial interaction. Therefore, the recorded Aboriginal sites reflect some aspects of Aboriginal land use before European arrival. Aboriginal archaeological resources are an important part of the common heritage of all people. Making cultural heritage information accessible to the community in the form of interpretation boards or walks enhances the value of residents and visitors within the City of Maribyrnong. Cultural interpretation of the Maribyrnong River provides the interested visitor or community member with an insight into the prehistory and Aboriginal land use of the area. 7.2.4Educational ValueAboriginal archaeological sites within the Maribyrnong River valley are a diminishing resource, and the City of Maribyrnong has the opportunity to ensure that the sites which are still present are preserved in perpetuity. Archaeological investigation in the Melbourne region has demonstrated that alluvial terraces of major rivers such as the Maribyrnong River can contain highly significant archaeological remains, such as the Keilor and Green Gully archaeological deposits. Fortunately such areas are usually incorporated within municipal parks and recreation reserves before post-contact land use causes extensive disturbance. This is the case in the City of Maribyrnong. Alluvial terraces are significant for the time range which they represent, and because of the quality and range of archaeological materials they contain, such as hearths, stone artefacts, faunal material, ochre, shellfish and burials (Brown and Long 1997: 55). Sites might date from the late Pleistocene, Holocene or the time of contact with Europeans. Within such terraces there is enormous potential to research archaeological deposits within a complex geomorphological context, which can provide information of how and when people were using the river environment, seasonal patterns of movement, site distribution, trading relations and stone tool manufacture and use. It is crucial that the archaeological values of the Maribyrnong River therefore be retained for future generations so that fundamental research can be ongoing and this resource does not deteriorate further. Directory: files files -> Answer True False 2 points Question 2 files -> Integer programming and game theory files -> 4 Integer Programming files -> Bpa vehicle Window Repair Scenario #1 task: Procure vehicle window relacement. Objective files -> Pop Warner History files -> North Carolina Inclusion Initiative Mapping Where Children with ieps are Being Served Purpose files -> Fall 2013 Spring 2014 Program Data: Standard 1 Exhibit 4d files -> Hanban – asia society confucius classrooms network 2010 request for proposal files -> Northern England’s set-jetting locations Download 0.72 Mb. Share with your friends:
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