Journal article
Australian Aboriginal traditions about coastal change reconciled with postglacial sea-level history: a first synthesis
Environment and History, Vol.22(3), pp.393-420
2016
Abstract
Like some other oral traditions of Australian Aborigines, those that relate to widespread and enduring coastal inundation appear to be several thousand years old. The best-documented traditions, some mythologised, are presented for six sites around the Australian coast (Bathurst and Melville Islands, Northern Territory; Rottnest, Carnac and Garden Islands, Western Australia; Spencer Gulf, South Australia; Kangaroo Island, South Australia; Port Phillip Bay, Victoria; Cairns and Fitzroy Island, Queensland). The minimum depths at which each tradition would have been true is determined from local bathymetry. These depths are then compared to postglacial sea-level history and minimum ages for each tradition calculated. These range from 7,500-13,400 years Before Present and represent unique observations of postglacial sea-level rise and its effects that have significant implications for an appreciation of the longevity of such traditions in preliterate societies.
Details
- Title
- Australian Aboriginal traditions about coastal change reconciled with postglacial sea-level history: a first synthesis
- Authors
- Patrick Nunn (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts and Business
- Publication details
- Environment and History, Vol.22(3), pp.393-420
- Publisher
- White Horse Press
- Date published
- 2016
- DOI
- 10.3197/096734016X14661540219311
- ISSN
- 0967-3407
- Copyright note
- Copyright © 2016 The Author. Reproduced here with permission. This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted following peer review for publication in Environment and History, 22:3, pp.393-420. The definitive publisher-authenticated version is available online, doi: 10.3197/096734016X14661540219311
- Organisation Unit
- Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research; School of Social Sciences - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Law and Society; Sustainability Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99449365002621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
214 File views/ downloads
1541 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Web Of Science research areas
- Environmental Studies
- History
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites