Surveying Gurru (Lake Hindmarsh)
Summary
TLDRThe video script discusses the cultural and historical significance of Lake Hindmarsh in Victoria, Australia. It is a freshwater lake with deep ties to Aboriginal traditions, serving as a creation story and a trading route. The script features interviews with archaeologists, cultural heritage surveyors, and local Aboriginal representatives, who share insights into their work in preserving and studying the area's rich history. They highlight the importance of oral history, artifact identification, and the need for community engagement and education to maintain cultural heritage.
Takeaways
- 🌄 Lake Hindmarsh, also known as 'Guru', is a significant freshwater lake in Victoria, Australia, with cultural and historical importance to the Aboriginal people.
- 🐾 The lake is part of a creation story that spans multiple language groups, symbolizing the impact of a kangaroo's grazing which created the lake's shape.
- 🛣️ The area was historically a trading route, evidenced by artifacts found from different regions, indicating extensive trade among Aboriginal groups.
- 👥 The script features various professionals, including a cultural heritage surveyor, archaeologists, and historians, all working together to study and preserve the area's heritage.
- 🎓 Field workers from Brenda Gage and Land Council are being trained in cultural heritage management, showing a commitment to developing local expertise in artifact identification.
- 🔍 The team is conducting archaeological excavations, including test pits, to search for subsurface artifacts and ensure development does not interfere with historical sites.
- 🗺️ The last comprehensive survey of the area was conducted in 1979 by the Victorian Archaeological Survey, indicating a need for updated research and documentation.
- 🔨 Artifacts such as grinding stones, scrapers, and flint tools reveal the Aboriginal people's past activities and their use of local resources for tool-making.
- 🌳 Scarred trees and other environmental markers provide evidence of Aboriginal occupation and are being registered for protection under the Aboriginal Heritage Act.
- 🚫 There is a concern about the damage caused by trail bike riders and natural occurrences like fire, which threaten the preservation of these cultural sites.
- 📚 The script emphasizes the importance of education and awareness about Aboriginal heritage, the need for community involvement, and the protection of these sites for future generations.
Q & A
What is the significance of Lake Hindmarsh in Victoria?
-Lake Hindmarsh is significant as the largest freshwater lake in Victoria and for its cultural importance in the creation story of the local Aboriginal people, extending across several different language groups.
What role did kangaroos play in the Aboriginal creation story of Lake Hindmarsh?
-In the creation story, kangaroos created Lake Hindmarsh by stopping to graze, which resulted in the formation of a large open area or 'punch out' on the landscape.
How does the presence of artifacts in the area indicate trade among Aboriginal groups?
-Artifacts found in the area that are not native to the region suggest that there was widespread trade among different Aboriginal groups, as these items would have been brought in from elsewhere.
What is the profession of Eric Cooper and what is his business called?
-Eric Cooper is an archaeologist and historian based in Horsham. He owns a business called Walkabout Cultural Heritage Management, which focuses on cultural heritage management plans, primarily in western Victoria.
What educational background do Ben Muir and Sandra Night have in relation to cultural heritage management?
-Ben Muir and Sandra Night are field workers from the Brenda Gage and Land Council who are completing a certificate in cultural heritage management through Latrobe University, making them skilled in identifying artifacts.
What type of archaeological work is Frank Bolden involved in at Lake Hindmarsh?
-Frank Bolden, an archaeology student from Adelaide, is assisting with a project at Lake Hindmarsh, which includes excavations and test pits for an extension of the San Juan, looking for subsurface artifacts.
What is the significance of oral history in the archaeological work being conducted?
-Oral history is significant as it provides a living record of the traditional owners' connection to the land and their cultural heritage, offering insights that complement written reports and textbooks.
What is the importance of preserving and documenting the archaeological sites around Lake Hindmarsh?
-Preserving and documenting these sites is crucial for understanding the Aboriginal people's history, their way of life, and for passing on this knowledge to future generations. It also helps in protecting the sites from damage caused by activities like trail bike riding.
What is the significance of the scarred trees found in the area?
-Scarred trees are significant as they provide evidence of Aboriginal occupation and their use of the land, such as for making shields or huts. They may also show evidence of both stone axe and steel axe use, indicating different eras of interaction with the environment.
What is the role of education in preserving and promoting cultural heritage?
-Education plays a key role in creating awareness about cultural heritage, fostering respect for the land, and promoting the preservation of sites and artifacts. It also helps in dispelling misconceptions and creating pride within local communities about their unique heritage.
How does the archaeological work at Lake Hindmarsh contribute to the understanding of Aboriginal history?
-The archaeological work at Lake Hindmarsh contributes by uncovering artifacts and evidence of past Aboriginal life, trade, and cultural practices. It helps to piece together a more comprehensive picture of their history and the ways in which they interacted with the environment.
Outlines
🌄 Significance of Lake and Aboriginal Heritage
The first paragraph discusses the importance of Lake Tyrrell, known traditionally as 'Guru', to the region of Victoria. It is the largest freshwater lake and holds a central role in the creation story of the local Aboriginal people, extending across various language groups. The lake's formation is attributed to a kangaroo's grazing, symbolizing a significant geographical and cultural impact. The paragraph also touches on the trading routes that extended to Lake Tyrrell, evidenced by artifacts not native to the area, indicating extensive trade networks. It introduces various professionals involved in cultural heritage management and their work in identifying artifacts and preserving archaeological practices.
🔍 Archaeological Discoveries and Preservation
The second paragraph delves into the archaeological work being conducted around Lake Tyrrell, focusing on the excavation of test pits to a depth of 2.8 meters to uncover subsurface artifacts. It mentions the discovery of a grinding stone, inland flint, and a bone flake, all of which are significant to the Aboriginal culture. The paragraph highlights the importance of these findings in understanding the Aboriginal way of life and their connection to the land. It also addresses the challenges faced in preserving these sites from damage caused by trail bike riders and natural occurrences like fire, emphasizing the need for documentation and respect for these cultural heritage sites.
📚 Cultural Heritage Education and Protection
The third paragraph emphasizes the importance of cultural heritage education and the need for awareness about the preservation of Aboriginal sites. It discusses the potential of archaeological work in Australia, which has evidence of some of the world's oldest material culture dating back 55,000 years. The paragraph calls for more funding and education to inform people about the unique cultural and heritage values present in their local areas. It also stresses the importance of respecting the land and the role of oral history in understanding the Aboriginal connection to the country, as well as the need to keep the culture alive through education and community involvement.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Lake Condah
💡Aboriginal people
💡Cultural heritage management
💡Artifacts
💡Archaeology
💡Scarred trees
💡Oral history
💡Material culture
💡Ethnographic evidence
💡Archaeological practices
💡Cultural education
Highlights
Lake Hindmarsh, known as 'Guru' in traditional terms, is the largest freshwater lake in Victoria and holds significant cultural importance for local Aboriginal people.
The lake is part of a creation story that spans multiple language groups, illustrating its widespread cultural relevance.
The lake's formation is attributed to a kangaroo's grazing, creating a significant geographical feature according to Aboriginal lore.
Ethnographic evidence and archaeology show that the area was part of a trading route, extending to Lake Tyrrell.
Artifacts found in the region suggest extensive trade among Aboriginal groups, as items are not native to the immediate area.
Eric Cooper, a Horsham-based archaeologist and historian, discusses his work in cultural heritage management in western Victoria.
Field workers from the Brenda Gage Land Council, Ben Muir and Sandra Night, are trained in cultural heritage management and artifact identification.
Archaeologists are uncovering artifacts such as grinding stones and scrapers, which provide insight into Aboriginal tool-making and resource use.
The discovery of an inland flint scraper indicates the use of specific materials for tool-making and their trade among Aboriginal communities.
Oral history and the connection to the land are emphasized as crucial components of Aboriginal culture, alongside written records.
Frank Bolden, an archaeology student from Adelaide, shares his excitement about working with traditional owners and uncovering their history.
The importance of preserving and sharing Aboriginal heritage to educate future generations is highlighted by the community's passion for their history.
Excavations for an extension of the San Juan are underway to search for subsurface artifacts without disturbing the natural ground surface.
The presence of burials and the discovery of a groaning stone indicate the historical use of the area for ceremonial and practical purposes.
Scarred trees and scatter sites around the lake are potential areas for further archaeological investigation, indicating past Aboriginal occupation.
Environmental damage from trail bike riders and natural occurrences like fire threaten the preservation of these culturally significant sites.
The need for increased awareness and education about Aboriginal heritage, as well as the importance of protecting these sites, is emphasized.
The Victorian Archaeological Survey of 1979 was the last comprehensive study in the area, indicating a need for updated research.
Cultural heritage work is vital for fostering community pride and respect for the land, as well as educating younger generations about their history.
Scar trees, such as the one found on the banks of Outlet Creek, are unique historical markers that provide evidence of both stone and steel axe use.
Transcripts
late hi marsh or its traditional name
guru is really significant to the area
not only as the largest freshwater lake
in Victoria but also its significance in
this story the creation story for local
Aboriginal people and an even wider than
that because it is part of a story that
crosses several different language
groups and the lake was created by
kangaroo who stopped and grazed and
thereby creating the big open punch out
ad on the country and that's one thing I
love better and I sort of show our
future generations what you know what
was that he and where the Aboriginal
people lived and how they lived in that
so yeah like how much is actually part
of a trading route when she went all the
way up to Lake Tyrael and we know that
because of ethnographic evidence but
also through the archaeology that we
found for example the artifacts that we
find out in these places are not
necessarily from around there which then
shows that these groups traded widely
i'ma watch Bali you're the other person
I am a cultural heritage surveyor which
I come out and draw their surveys around
the rim Emily my name is Eric Cooper I'm
a Horsham based archaeologists and
historian and I have a business called
walkabout cultural heritage management
and my main source of work is
undertaking cultural heritage management
plants and a lot of that work is is from
the women in western Victoria so here
today we've got two representatives
field workers from Brenda gage and land
council we've got Ben Muir and Sandra
night and they're both on certificate
for in cultural heritage management
through Latrobe University and so
they're they're quite skilled at
identifying artifacts and I've also got
another archaeologist and he's just
graduating from Flinders University so
yeah they're basically all serving at
the moment but they're all highly
trained in artefact identification
and archaeological practices oh hi
everyone my name's Frank Bolden I'm from
Adelaide and I'm here helping with the
project out here on the edge of Lake
land Marsh and I study archaeology over
and I even work with yeah it's really
been exciting to be out here all week in
this beautiful environment working with
tradition alone and some such a nice
place well it feels fantastic mainly
because I'm working with people that
have the heritage here and seeing them
discover a bit more of the story of that
it's always nice to see to see members
of the community come out and be
passionate about discovering the history
and heritage and we can see Sandra and
been extremely passionate about their
heritage and through talking to them
this week I've seen that they love to
share it with the community and through
their courses and they're passing it on
through to their next generation -
that's fantastic to see so one of the
other really fantastic things about our
work is being out on country with
traditional owners and a lot of our
stuff is through written reports and
text books and things like that but oral
history there's still so much oral
history that's around and also learning
about their connection to country which
is quite different to ours and often the
way that they see the landscape and pick
up on little things that we walk over
even as trained archaeologists so that's
one of the really amazing things and
it's something that I always endeavour
to include in the reports it's very very
important to share those people's oral
history as well because that's what's
been handed down and through the
generations and it doesn't all just come
out of textbooks
yeah I love it you know it's my my
passion and my history and I love
working for my people and that's what
I've always wanted to do we're doing
excavations some test pits for an
extension of the San Juan and what we
were doing is looking for artifacts
subsurface so we dug down about 2.8
meters and that's the depth that was
down to the natural ground surface so we
were just making sure that any sand that
they did extract was not going to
interfere with anything such as large
artifacts catters show MIT in science
even burials burials are quite frequent
in that landscape out there too so far
out here we've been at like Hamas we
found a groaning stone which it and an
actual groaning stone which is actually
for making to use ochre or crush a bell
and I food or something you know back in
back in our days that's what our people
used to use was the grinding stone
that's inland Flint this one and this
has been brought in from we think the
Grampian so you can see that Flint there
this is like a scraper it was so what
days do was chip bits of like Flint off
a big rock sort of like this and what
they used to do but it was chip bits off
like that and use it and then little
bits of this will go often for a scraper
for a tool as well so would use that to
make our Spears or our boomerangs
or whatever tools we used to use for
lock it out and bushing that say that's
the inland Flint what we found out here
and not the one we've got here is a
flake bone which is this is one of the
probably the best we could find around
here at the time
yeah that this is another thing as well
so that's a very what what percent with
this with the ground in stone this is
like gold to us as well you know and
very important to us it was and you know
you can see as you can see where the
hitting points are where they used to
hit their actual stone flakes used to
come off from that and say that would be
your outside of you yeah rock it'll be
inside and that bit there be a scraper
as well so we use these a prayer
scrapers as well so and well I'm thing
that we've got as well is a Court courts
we used to trade from like prayer for
food and sources in that and that's it
courts flight there as well so that's a
another very important thing to wear our
culture as well and future generations
will find out and know what you know
these artifacts and that will will be in
our future years yeah thank you
I think as we know the sort of changes
that it's been through and to think
about the the ways that it's sustained
people and and were able to live out
here and then we see the changes today
and it just makes this a fascinating
area to to really the archaeology can
really reveal what people were doing at
you there was a large survey done across
Victoria called the Victorian
archaeological survey that was conducted
in 1979 that was the last time this area
and outlet Creek in Alberta was really a
surveyed well I think there's a lot of
opportunity around here we know of a lot
of sites around the lake bed and this is
a new sort of study area that we're
exploring here there's lots of scarred
trees and scatter sites where we can see
occupation so there's a high potential
for for finding things here too
there's even the need to go and inspect
them respect the condition of them are
they still there the trail bike riders
are creating a lot of damage which was
evident when we drove along the eastern
track off outlet Creek for example on
the banks the drive banks it's very
sandy you can see they've they've ridden
their bikes up and down and there's some
large trees that are just on those
embankments that will eventually fall in
and also natural occurrences like fire
and things like that but it really is
important to go out and document these
things around here is really significant
for our culture in that because you know
we say the scar trees we find the you
know the artifacts and all that we know
that they would our people lived out
here and you know use the tool tools and
all that and you know we know that it
was really you know a significant area
to our people it's just about protecting
those sites because they are rapidly
diminishing and yeah just creating
awareness about that the our purpose is
not to ever stop development or people's
activities it's just a really you know
and we find ways to work around that I
think it's so important to improve
knowledge about Native Title and
cultural heritage and also I think more
education could be done in schools
there's a lot of romanticism about
archaeology and that archaeologists
generally go over to Greece and places
like that and study ancient ancient what
is considered ancient archaeology
however we have evidence here in
Australia that we have some of the
oldest material culture in the world now
we can with great deal of surety say
that we have material dating back fifty
five thousand years which compared to
something that's 2,000 years old being
recovered in Rome is pretty amazing
so it's something definitely that's
underestimated and it's right just here
on our doorstep you know funding cuts
it's not allowed us to go out there and
and do that and I think there's lots of
potential to greater inform people about
that but also create pride with local
communities understanding that they do
live amongst places that have such
unique cultural and heritage values
environmental values and also you know
scientific so it's really really vital
that more work is done in this area
because it really is a way that we can
bring lots of people together and also
teaching younger education is about
respecting country and once you get out
there and explained to people what you
find and and how it was used
it sort of resonates a bit about the
importance of and makes people you know
think a little bit more about the way
that they treat country and their level
of respect for it
you go out and say to someone oh I've
been into a survey I saw when you're
being when you've been you know so we've
been at like on Marshall and I like
al-baqarah or somewhere or maybe even
the great Grandpa's we do a lot of
survey in the Grampians too so but AD
he's really drawing all that but it's
really important to our community
because we've got a capable live in
their community and if we don't well
it's just going to die and kids are
never going to see the way that we lived
back in
there isn't Dez I said and that's what
we need to do is keep our culture alive
in schools and in workforce as well so
you know that's that's really important
to us as well so yeah
so this is the scarred tree that we
found on the banks of outlet Creek just
towards the road that you come out of to
go to rainbow this one here is a scar
the size of it indicates that it was
possibly used the wood root was removed
to make a shield or something of that
kind and what we can see is some stone
axe marks up on the top right hand side
and this is really unique because
there's not that many scar trees now
that have stone axe marks so this tree
is really special it's also quite unique
as well because it also tells us that it
was used in European times the large
scar on the other side of the tree was
possibly removed to make that for a buck
hut and this has evidence of steel ax
marks down the bottom left corner so
this tree is really important it may
possibly contain two scars from two
different eras or it may just be the
presence of the use of a seal acts in
times when also that people were
utilizing stone axes so this tree in
particular it was unregistered just in
the process of registering it and it
will then be protected under the
Aboriginal Heritage Act
you
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