For 65,000 years, Bininj – the local Kundjeihmi word for Aboriginal people – have returned to Madjedbebe rock shelter on Mirarr Country in the Kakadu region (in the Northern Territory).
, the monsoon vine forest vegetation, common at other points in time, would have retreated.
By 7,000 years ago, Australia and New Guinea were entirely severed from each other and the sea approached Madjedbebe to a high stand of just 5km away. To do this, we sought an unlikely archaeological treasure: charcoal. It's not something that comes to mind for the average camper, but when a fireplace is lit many of its components – such as twigs and leaves, or food thrown in – can later transform into charcoal.Under the right conditions, these charred remains will survive long after campers have moved on. This happened many times in the past.
Highly prized anme such as karrbarda and annganj/ankanj were significant elements of the diet at times when the monsoon vine forest and freshwater vegetation got closer to Madjedbebe – such as during wetland formation in the last 4,000 years and earlier wet phases. But they were also sought from more distant places during drier times.The biggest shift in the plant diet eaten at Madjedbebe occurred with the formation of freshwater wetlands.
Today, the wetlands are culturally and economically significant to the Mirarr and other Bininj. A range of seasonal animal and plant foods feature at dinner time, including magpie geese, turtles, and waterlilies.It's likely the First Australians not only responded to their environment but also shaped it. In the Kakadu region today, one of the main ways Bininj modify their landscape is through cultural burning.
Our data demonstrates the use of a range of plant foods at Madjedbebe during Kurrung, throughout most of the site's occupation, from 65,000 to 4,000 years ago.
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