Interpreting the mammal deposits of Cloggs Cave ( SE Australia), GunaiKurnai Aboriginal Country, through community‐led partnership research
International audience Palaeontological animal bone deposits are rarely investigated through research partnerships where the local First Nations communities have a defining hand in both the research questions asked and the research processes. Here we report research undertaken through such a partner...
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Online Access: | https://hal.science/hal-03829927 https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10410 |
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ftccsdartic:oai:HAL:hal-03829927v1 2024-02-27T08:40:32+00:00 Interpreting the mammal deposits of Cloggs Cave ( SE Australia), GunaiKurnai Aboriginal Country, through community‐led partnership research Mcdowell, Matthew David, Bruno Mullett, Russell Fresløv, Joanna Delannoy, Jean‐jacques Mialanes, Jerome Thomas, Cath Ash, Jeremy Crouch, Joe Petchey, Fiona Buettel, Jessie Arnold, Lee School of Natural Sciences and ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, 7001, Australia Environnements, Dynamiques et Territoires de Montagne (EDYTEM) Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Monash University Melbourne 2022-09 https://hal.science/hal-03829927 https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10410 en eng HAL CCSD Wiley Open Access info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1002/pan3.10410 hal-03829927 https://hal.science/hal-03829927 doi:10.1002/pan3.10410 ISSN: 2575-8314 People and Nature https://hal.science/hal-03829927 People and Nature, 2022, ⟨10.1002/pan3.10410⟩ biogeographic change climate change East Gippsland first nations landscapes GunaiKurnai owl accumulation partnership research small mammals [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory [SHS.ANTHRO-SE]Humanities and Social Sciences/Social Anthropology and ethnology [SHS.GEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Geography info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 2022 ftccsdartic https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10410 2024-01-28T01:07:56Z International audience Palaeontological animal bone deposits are rarely investigated through research partnerships where the local First Nations communities have a defining hand in both the research questions asked and the research processes. Here we report research undertaken through such a partnership approach at the iconic archaeological site of Cloggs Cave (GunaiKurnai Country, East Gippsland), in the southern foothills of SE Australia's Great Dividing Range.A new excavation was combined with detailed chronometric dating, high-resolution 3D mapping and geomorphological studies. This allowed interpretation of a sequence of stratigraphic layers spanning from a lowermost excavated mixed layer dated to between 25,640 and 48,470 cal BP, to a dense set of uppermost, ash layers dated to between 1460 and 3360 cal BP. This long and well-dated chronostratigraphic sequence enabled temporal trends in the abundant small mammal remains to be examined.The fossil assemblage consists of at least 31 taxa of mammals which change in proportions through time. Despite clear evidence that the Old Ancestors repeatedly carried vegetation into the cave to fuel cool fires (no visible vegetation grows in Cloggs Cave), we observed little to no evidence of cooking fires or calcined bone, suggesting that people had little involvement with the accumulation of the faunal remains. Small mammal bones were most likely deposited in the cave by large disc-faced owls, Tyto novaehollandae (Masked Owl) or Tyto tenebricosa (Sooty Owl).Despite being well dated and largely undisturbed, the Cloggs Cave assemblage does not appear to track known Late Quaternary environmental change. Instead, the complex geomorphology of the area fostered a vegetation mosaic that supported mammals with divergent habitat preferences. The faunal deposit suggests a local ancestral landscape characterised by a resilient mosaic of habitats that persisted over thousands of years, signalling that the Old Ancestors burned landscape fires to encourage and manage patches of ... Article in Journal/Newspaper First Nations Archive ouverte HAL (Hyper Article en Ligne, CCSD - Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) People and Nature 4 6 1629 1643 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Archive ouverte HAL (Hyper Article en Ligne, CCSD - Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) |
op_collection_id |
ftccsdartic |
language |
English |
topic |
biogeographic change climate change East Gippsland first nations landscapes GunaiKurnai owl accumulation partnership research small mammals [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory [SHS.ANTHRO-SE]Humanities and Social Sciences/Social Anthropology and ethnology [SHS.GEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Geography |
spellingShingle |
biogeographic change climate change East Gippsland first nations landscapes GunaiKurnai owl accumulation partnership research small mammals [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory [SHS.ANTHRO-SE]Humanities and Social Sciences/Social Anthropology and ethnology [SHS.GEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Geography Mcdowell, Matthew David, Bruno Mullett, Russell Fresløv, Joanna Delannoy, Jean‐jacques Mialanes, Jerome Thomas, Cath Ash, Jeremy Crouch, Joe Petchey, Fiona Buettel, Jessie Arnold, Lee Interpreting the mammal deposits of Cloggs Cave ( SE Australia), GunaiKurnai Aboriginal Country, through community‐led partnership research |
topic_facet |
biogeographic change climate change East Gippsland first nations landscapes GunaiKurnai owl accumulation partnership research small mammals [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory [SHS.ANTHRO-SE]Humanities and Social Sciences/Social Anthropology and ethnology [SHS.GEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Geography |
description |
International audience Palaeontological animal bone deposits are rarely investigated through research partnerships where the local First Nations communities have a defining hand in both the research questions asked and the research processes. Here we report research undertaken through such a partnership approach at the iconic archaeological site of Cloggs Cave (GunaiKurnai Country, East Gippsland), in the southern foothills of SE Australia's Great Dividing Range.A new excavation was combined with detailed chronometric dating, high-resolution 3D mapping and geomorphological studies. This allowed interpretation of a sequence of stratigraphic layers spanning from a lowermost excavated mixed layer dated to between 25,640 and 48,470 cal BP, to a dense set of uppermost, ash layers dated to between 1460 and 3360 cal BP. This long and well-dated chronostratigraphic sequence enabled temporal trends in the abundant small mammal remains to be examined.The fossil assemblage consists of at least 31 taxa of mammals which change in proportions through time. Despite clear evidence that the Old Ancestors repeatedly carried vegetation into the cave to fuel cool fires (no visible vegetation grows in Cloggs Cave), we observed little to no evidence of cooking fires or calcined bone, suggesting that people had little involvement with the accumulation of the faunal remains. Small mammal bones were most likely deposited in the cave by large disc-faced owls, Tyto novaehollandae (Masked Owl) or Tyto tenebricosa (Sooty Owl).Despite being well dated and largely undisturbed, the Cloggs Cave assemblage does not appear to track known Late Quaternary environmental change. Instead, the complex geomorphology of the area fostered a vegetation mosaic that supported mammals with divergent habitat preferences. The faunal deposit suggests a local ancestral landscape characterised by a resilient mosaic of habitats that persisted over thousands of years, signalling that the Old Ancestors burned landscape fires to encourage and manage patches of ... |
author2 |
School of Natural Sciences and ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, 7001, Australia Environnements, Dynamiques et Territoires de Montagne (EDYTEM) Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Monash University Melbourne |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Mcdowell, Matthew David, Bruno Mullett, Russell Fresløv, Joanna Delannoy, Jean‐jacques Mialanes, Jerome Thomas, Cath Ash, Jeremy Crouch, Joe Petchey, Fiona Buettel, Jessie Arnold, Lee |
author_facet |
Mcdowell, Matthew David, Bruno Mullett, Russell Fresløv, Joanna Delannoy, Jean‐jacques Mialanes, Jerome Thomas, Cath Ash, Jeremy Crouch, Joe Petchey, Fiona Buettel, Jessie Arnold, Lee |
author_sort |
Mcdowell, Matthew |
title |
Interpreting the mammal deposits of Cloggs Cave ( SE Australia), GunaiKurnai Aboriginal Country, through community‐led partnership research |
title_short |
Interpreting the mammal deposits of Cloggs Cave ( SE Australia), GunaiKurnai Aboriginal Country, through community‐led partnership research |
title_full |
Interpreting the mammal deposits of Cloggs Cave ( SE Australia), GunaiKurnai Aboriginal Country, through community‐led partnership research |
title_fullStr |
Interpreting the mammal deposits of Cloggs Cave ( SE Australia), GunaiKurnai Aboriginal Country, through community‐led partnership research |
title_full_unstemmed |
Interpreting the mammal deposits of Cloggs Cave ( SE Australia), GunaiKurnai Aboriginal Country, through community‐led partnership research |
title_sort |
interpreting the mammal deposits of cloggs cave ( se australia), gunaikurnai aboriginal country, through community‐led partnership research |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://hal.science/hal-03829927 https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10410 |
genre |
First Nations |
genre_facet |
First Nations |
op_source |
ISSN: 2575-8314 People and Nature https://hal.science/hal-03829927 People and Nature, 2022, ⟨10.1002/pan3.10410⟩ |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1002/pan3.10410 hal-03829927 https://hal.science/hal-03829927 doi:10.1002/pan3.10410 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10410 |
container_title |
People and Nature |
container_volume |
4 |
container_issue |
6 |
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1629 |
op_container_end_page |
1643 |
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1792047650980233216 |