Jo McDonald, Wendy Reynen, Emma Beckett, Kane Ditchfield, John Fairweather, Zane Blunt, Joe Dortch, Sarah de Koning, Ken Mulvaney
Dynamics of the Dreaming was a collaboration between Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, UWA and RioTinto. The project focussed on both deep time and contemporary values. The aim was to understand the scientific and cultural values of the National Heritage Listed Place - and to provide scientific evidence in support of the World Heritage Listing nomination.
The Dampier Archipelago - Murujuga - is on the Pilbara coast of Western Australia. This cultural landscape has some of the world’s most abundant and diverse petroglyphs (engraved rock art) as well as myriad other archaeological evidence for Aboriginal occupation and resilience through extreme environmental change.
On Australia’s National Heritage List since 2007 and placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage Tentative List in February 2020, Murujuga is recognised as one of Australia’s most culturally and scientifically significant rock art regions.
This cultural landscape is of great significance to the Ngarda-ngarli people, represented by Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation (MAC). MAC represents the Yaburara-Mardudunhera, Ngarluma-Yinjabarndi and Wong-goo-tt-oo peoples who own and co-manage this conservation estate with DBCA.
This project focussed on the following research themes:
- How and where did people create rock art here from 50,000 years ago?
- How did people transition from arid inland hunter gatherers to Holocene coastal hunter gatherer fisherpersons?
- What were the early encounters with explorers, whalers, pearlers and colonial settlers?
This project prioritised a collaborative two-way working relationship with MAC custodians and the MLSU Rangers.
Click on each photo to learn more
All photographs within this monograph were taken by CRAR+M researchers, partners and students, and have been given cultural approval for publication by Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation. Future use of imagery would require additional permissions from Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation and CRAR+M.
© 2023. This work is licensed under a