Histories of Archaeology conference 2021

Activity: Participating in or organising an event typesContribution to conference

Description

Keynote 5 — An Untold Story: Early Aboriginal Involvement in the Development of Australian Archaeology, c.1830-1960 by Lynette Russell (Monash University) & Matthew Spriggs (The Australian National University/Vanuatu Cultural Centre)

Despite the general view among archaeologists that Indigenous Australian involvement in archaeology in Australia only began in the 1960s, there is in fact considerable evidence of their active involvement in archaeological practice in a range of roles going back to at least the 1830s. This has remained an almost entirely untold story. We are not just talking about Aboriginal participation as guides to sites or in participating in excavations (important though these roles are) but suggest that Indigenous intellectual property has been critical in all stages of the development of Australian archaeology to the present. Serious gaps are being identified in the ways the history of Australian archaeology has been presented and this untold story of Aboriginal involvement is one such that our current ARC Strategic Research Initiative project is investigating. The claim is not that archaeologists and First Nations people worked together on an equal basis on the project of constructing Australian archaeology; clearly, they did not. The aim is instead to recognise that much of our knowledge of Australia's past has come directly or indirectly from the active involvement of Aboriginal people and that some acknowledgement of this needs to be made. This realization will have significant implications for how the discipline is taught and practiced, and for public appreciation of the role of Indigenous Australians in shaping the nation’s history.



The conference session themes:

Explore new ideas and emerging research in the history of archaeology from around the globe.

History of archaeology, archaeological theory, and methods (23 November)
Objects and archives - history of archaeology through collections research (23 November)
Women in archaeology and the archaeology of gender (24 November)
History of archaeology in the Pacific and Australia (24 November)
Indigenous agency and individuals in the history of archaeology (25 November)
This event is hosted by the team from the ‘Collective Biography of Archaeology in the Pacific’ (CBAP) Australian Research Council Laureate Project, which was led by Professor Matthew Spriggs (ANU) from 2015-2020. The conference was postponed from March 2020, marking the conclusion of the CBAP project, but we are delighted to bring speakers and audience together from 23-25 November 2021.

We will also be launching an edited volume connected with a series of CBAP linked international museum exhibitions collectively titled Uncovering Pacific Pasts: Histories of Archaeology in Oceania. These exhibitions took place at approximately 40 museums and cultural institutions worldwide.

With many thanks to:

The Gender Institute (Australian National University)
The Australian-French Association for Research and Innovation Inc.
The Australian Research Council
ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
The Australian National University
Period23 Nov 202125 Nov 2021
Event typeConference
LocationCanberra, Australia, Australian Capital TerritoryShow on map
Degree of RecognitionInternational

Keywords

  • Archaeology
  • Indigenous Australian involvement
  • First Nations Knowledge
  • Truth Telling