Cosmo‐political landscapes of Torres Straitadhiandmisœristones

Closing the gap between Islander and non‐indigenous perspectives

Bibliographic Data

ID6038208
AuthorsRod Mitchell (0000-0003-2501-3003, Freelance EFL Teacher and Language Scholar Milan), Friedrich Von Gnielinski (0000-0002-1005-3558, Geological Survey of Queensland Department of Resources Queensland), Josh Willsher (School of Archaeology and Anthropology Australian National University), Mcrose Elu (Senior Australian of the Year and Saibalaig Elder), D Wright (0000-0003-2546-0559, School of Archaeology and Anthropology Australian National University, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume58
Issue1
Pages56-73
Publication date2023-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArchaeology in Oceania/Archæology & physical anthropology in Oceania (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0728-4896 • E-ISSN: 1834-4453
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/arco.5281
OpenAlexW4313560376
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited27

Torres Strait (TS), on Australia's north‐east border, has a long history of research onpœrapœral kulal: powerful stones.Pœrapœral kulalcontain vital power from site‐of‐origin and therefore their movement across the Coral‐Arafura Sea corridor provides important information about past and present human relationships (Elu 2004). With few exceptions Western models draw on anthropological, linguistic and site origin research collated by a Cambridge University field team over 100 years ago, with little detailed reassessment of stone raw material and distribution or geological and archaeological surveys conducted within the intervening period. It is also unclear how TS Islanders engage with this literature, particularly the many communities poorly represented by 19th‐century studies. In this paper, we test several assumptions influencing recent literature from contemporary islander and non‐indigenous perspectives. This includes assessing whether: (a) western scholarship models oversimplify terminology and discussion; (b) early geological assessments of substantive movement of stones is correct; and (c) movement of exotic stones was a common feature across TS. Finally, using detailed cultural, archaeology, geology, and language data sets we reinterpret the regionally‐varying role and antiquity ofpœrapœral kulalwithin this animate cosmo‐political land and seascape

Archaeology · Geography · Indigenous · Osteology · Pacific islanders · Political science · Politics · Scholarship · Seascape · Sociology · Terminology · Anthropology · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Australian Indigenous Culture and History · History · Law · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Ecology

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Open DOIOpen Access