New evidence of pre-European colonization cultural contact in northern Australian has been discovered in analysis of rock art from Awunbarna, in Arnhem Land. “Early contact history in what is now the Northern Territory, Australia, is dominated by a Macassan-centric narrative of fishing along the Arnhem Land coastline.” (De Ruyter et al. 2023)
“Awunbarna, also known as Mount Borradaile, is in northwestern Arnhem Land in northern Australia on the lands of the Amurdak and Mengerdji traditional owners (Fig. 1). The region consists of a series of large sandstone outliers surrounded by a small range of sandstone strike ridges of the Mamadewerre Sandstone. The area is known to contain hundreds of rock-art sites with some of the region’s most significant complexes of rock art. Awunbarna, or “the hollow mountain,” is located at the nexus of several Indigenous language groups and at a significant point between the coast and the stone country.” (De Ruyter et al. 2023)
“Archaeologists believe they have solved the decades-long mystery surrounding two boats depicted on north-western Arnhem Land rock art. At Awunbarna – the rock shelters are decorated with paintings of European ships, guns, fish, prawns and macropods. But since the 1970s, two specific paintings of boats have stood out as different to western archaeologists. Researchers from Flinders University have this month published findings that suggest the art depicts ships from the Maluku Islands – previously known as the Moluccas – in Indonesia, which could have reached Australian shores prior to colonization.” (ABC News-Australia 2023)
The “two watercraft depicted in the rock art feature motifs that appear on the Moluccan types of Southeast Asian vessels. They are distinct from other seafaring cultures from the region, enabling the researchers to confirm their identity. As well as their distinctive shape and configuration, both boats appear to display triangular flags, pennants, and prow adornments. By comparing these two depictions with historically recorded watercraft from islands in Southeast Asia, the researchers suggest that they probably came from eastern Malaku Tenggara in Indonesia.” (Flinders University 2023) The distinctive flags, pennants, and prow ornaments mentioned may well have been intended as supplications to the gods for luck in combat.
“Dutch explorers in
the Moluccas reported as early as the mid-seventeenth century that inhabitants
from the islands regularly sailed to the north coast of Australia. The rock art
provides compelling new evidence of undocumented interactions between the
Indigenous people from Awunbarna in Arnhem Land and visitors from the
Moluccas.” (Flinders University 2023)
From as early as 1700 (prior to European contact) fishing boats from Makassar would seasonally sail to the coast of Arnhem Land to catch and dry trepan (sea cucumbers) to trade with China where it is used for food and medicinal purposes. They did have contact with the Yolngu people there and some cultural influences had been transmitted. They are not known to have settled however. (National Museum of Australia)
“The Macassans were a disparate group of Island Southeast Asian seafarers with a commercial network based in the town of Makassar in Sulawesi, Indonesia. The watercraft discussed here are unlike any of the typical Macassan fishing vessels and other colonial craft illustrated elsewhere at rock-art sites in northern Australia but are sufficiently detailed to offer evidence for a robust identification. Both rock-art depictions appear to display triangular flags, pennants, and prow adornments—prominent decorated prow boards in both cases and a “sun wheel”—a circular device with emanating rays—in one. By comparing the shape, proportions, configuration, and detail of these two craft with historically recorded watercraft from nearby regions, this study shows the probable origin to have been the region of eastern Maluku Tenggara in Indonesia, and possibly the island of Tanimbar in particular.” (De Ruyter et al. 2023) The terms Macassan and Moluccan both refer to peoples from Indonesia, historically known as the “Spice Islands.” Moluccan is the blanket term used for people from the region, Macassan refers to people from the Island of Sulawesi in Indonesia.
“This identification of Moluccan fighting craft has significant implications for the reasons mariners from these islands may have been on the northern Australian coastline, and subsequently for the intercultural encounters on the Arnhem Land coast. An underlying reason for Moluccan fighting craft to visit the Arnhem Land coast is likely to be linked to trade, fishing, resource exploitation, or slavery. While the artist(s) potentially observed these craft in the Moluccas rather than in Australia, the presence of such fighting craft would imply either a physically violent context, or conversely a benign projection of power. The very nature of these watercraft being eastern Indonesian fighting vessels is a significant departure from the narrative of Macassan commercial and fishing activities. Furthermore, these two paintings have significant implications for the two competing chronological models for culture contact between northern Australia and Southeast Asia.” (De Ruyter et al. 2023) The presence of fighting craft along with the more common fishing boats may suggest a perceived need for official action, whether providing security for one group against another, or perhaps something like taxation on the trepang fishermen.
“Professor Sue O’Connor, who was not
involved in the study, said the findings suggested some Indigenous Australians
may have left the mainland for Malaku, which is part of the Indonesian
archipelago. ‘Either this demonstrates that we’ve had that craft visiting the
Arnhem Land shores or people from Arnhem Land going to them in the Moluccan
region and seeing crafts there and coming back and painting them,’ she said.” (ABC News-Australia 2023) These
Australians who “may have left the
mainland for Malaku” may not have gone willingly. As De Ruyter et al.
(2023) said above one to the reasons for the boats to visit Australia may have
been slavery.
In any case, the rock art of the area provides an indelible record of intercultural contact.
NOTE: Some images in this posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read the original reports at the sites listed below.
REFERENCES:
ABC News - Australia, 2023, Archaeologists say Moluccan boats depicted in Arnhem Land rock art, solving Mystery, 27 May 2023, https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/. Accessed online 9 June 2023.
De Ruyter, Mick et al., 2023, Moluccan Fighting Craft on Australian Shores: Contact Rock Art from Awunbarna, Arnhem Land, Historical Archaeology, https://doi.org/q0.1007/s41636-023-00390-7. Accessed online 8 June 2023.
Flinders University, 2023, Archaeologists identify Moluccan boats that may have visited Australia
from Indonesia in rock art drawings, 31 May 2023, https://phys.org/. Accessed online 31 May 2023.
National Museum of Australia,
Trade With Makasar,
https://www.nma.gov.au/. Accessed online 15
June 2023.
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