Uncategorized
As the drought digs its feet in and any predicted rain evaporates from the forecasts before it hits the ground, the scartrees endure. Some trees have been trashed in wild wind squalls but the significant widespread erosion is exposing many old campsites and artefacts as well. The scalded flats are being peeled back as topsoil is blown away leaving hollows littered with the flakes and fragments of foreign stone. There is no natural rock here so the variety and quantity of the different chips & chunks of stone is remarkable. The trees in these areas are always heavily scarred and the clay oven balls are scattered around like red mushrooms in some apocalyptic film set. The remains of the earth ovens now emerging from the clay pans is a reminder of how long this land has been home to Aboriginal Australians. Luckily the carved tree is surviving this mother of all droughts, decaying gracefully but gradually becoming less decipherable every year. To the shame of our archaeologists, anthropologists, aboriginal advisory bodies, academics & activists, none of whom have shown any interest or enthusiasm towards these astonishing trees. Like how many living Aboriginal carved trees do we have in this country? Those from Collymongle ( Collarenebri, NSW ) were enhanced with steel tomahawks early last century and many carted off to city museums. There may be a few burial trees surviving in Wiradjuri country so let’s hope someone is looking after them… what price our heritage … going, going, gone
Years 5 & 6 came out this week to see the scars and various bush tucker trees that live around them. I decided Telinebone would be the best paddock as it is close by with good dirt tracks for the school bus. More importantly though the scartrees there are spectacular, varied and are clustered together in easily accessible groups. There […]
Elaborate scars left by old campfires are found on the side of the tree that leans toward you. Many eucalypts grow on a slant and if your fire was set under the sheltered side it would be protected from the rain. The scars left from the fires are strangely shaped but often have residual burns […]
I’ve come across some interesting trees lately. Much easier on the eyes than looking down at the ground which is starting to resemble a moonscape. Drought has decimated the groundcover out here (except for cactus & noxious weeds). We have had only one good season in the last 6 years so it makes a pretty […]
Although not taphoglyphs ( carved trees around a burial site ) a tree at a burial site here could have a man’s mombarai carved in the wood. “Among the Euahlayi, burial practice could differ. Dunbar (1943) recorded a burial in the fully flexed position: a grave was dug and the body was placed sitting and […]
These are some of the ceremonial tree designs found in our area taken from The Australian museum magazine June 1 1940. At least 3 of these are represented here .The quotes below come from Lindsay Black – BURIAL TREES – BEING THE FIRST OF A SERIES ON THE ABORIGINAL CUSTOMS OF THE DARLING VALLEY AND CENTRAL NEW […]
The following post is drawn from : The Astronomy of the Kamilaroi People and their Neighbours Robert S. Fuller1,2, Ray P. Norris1,3, Michelle Trudgett1 1Department of Indigenous Studies, Warawara, Macquarie University NSW 2109, Australia With a few exceptions, Scorpius is referenced not for the star pattern, but for some dark spaces around it. King Rory […]
Various designs were carved on the chest arms or back of the Kamilaroi boys years ago. These were known as ‘ mombarai ‘ or drawings that identified their family or clan. It is possible these simple designs could have been carved on trees as well ? Not randomly like graffiti but more like a message […]
I was very sorry to lose another lovely old scar tree to lightning strikes again this week. I put it on the home page gallery to mark its passing. The fire didn’t spread because the paddock is always stocked with sheep. Sheep keep the grass low so there is no build up of fuel that […]
I recently spent a week in Mexico and was very impressed with the Mayan cultural artefacts in the Anthropological museum and the Teotihuacan pyramids. The Inca Olmec Maya & Aztec civilisations were amazing in their own ways and all had much superior technology to the Australian Aboriginals. Some left behind not just pyramids and cities […]