Obligations to Objects

Tangled Histories and Changing Contexts of the Burnett River Rock Engravings

in Museum Worlds
Author:
Brit Asmussen Queensland Museum brit.asmussen@qm.qld.gov.au

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Lester Michael Hill Independent researcher lestermhill@hotmail.com

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Sean Ulm James Cook University sean.ulm@jcu.edu.au

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Chantal Knowles Queensland Museum chantal.knowles@qm.qld.gov.au

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3167/armw.2016.040107
Keywords:
Burnett River Engravings; cultural heritage; engravings; identity museum archaeology; repatriation; rock art; sacred objects
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ABSTRACT

This article discusses changing obligations toward objects from an archaeological site held by the Queensland Museum, through a long-term, 40-year case study. Between 1971 and 1972 a selection of 92 stone blocks weighing up to 5 tons containing Aboriginal engravings were cut out of the site and distributed to multiple locations across Queensland by the State Government under the provisions of the then Aboriginal Relics Preservation Act 1967. The site was subsequently flooded following dam construction and the removed blocks became part of the Queensland Museum’s collection. This article chronicles the history of the site and its “salvage,” the consequences of fragmentation of the site for community and institutions, the creation of 92 museum objects, the transformation from immobile to mobile cultural heritage, and community-led requests for their repatriation back to country.

Contributor Notes

DR. BRIT ASMUSSEN is Senior Curator of Archaeology, Indigenous cultures, at Queensland Museum. Brit’s current archaeological research examines long-term Australian human-environmental relationships and socioeconomic and cultural systems via the detailed analysis of multiple archaeological records. She has curated several exhibitions.

LESTER MICHAEL HILL is a Gooreng Gooreng man from Bundaberg. He grew up in the bush, raised in culture, taught by elders. He has a desire to teach younger generations about their cultural heritage and the wider community about Aboriginal culture. Mr. Hill is leading community efforts for the repatriation of the Burnett River Rock Engravings back to their traditional country, where they can rest in a secure place, with hopes for the development of a cultural heritage center teaching culture and the interconnectedness between culture, heritage, and well-being.

PROFESSOR SEAN ULM is an Australian Research Council Future Fellow in the College of Arts, Society and Education at James Cook University. His publications include more than 80 articles on the archaeology of Australia and five books. Sean has conducted research in Australia, Honduras, Chile, Papua New Guinea, and the Pacific.

CHANTAL KNOWLES is the head of the Cultural Environments Program at the Queensland Museum Network. As a museum professional and anthropologist with 17 years of experience working in the museum sector, her research has focused on Oceania, in particular Papua New Guinea. Her wider interests include museum practice and material culture, and developing collaborative partnerships with communities, curators, authors, and scholars.

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Museum Worlds

Advances in Research

Cover Museum Worlds
Article Category:
Research Article
Page Count:
17
Keywords:
Burnett River Engravings; cultural heritage; engravings; identity museum archaeology; repatriation; rock art; sacred objects
Print Publication Date:
01 Jul 2016
Online Publication Date:
01 Jul 2016
Copyright:
© Berghahn Books 2016

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