Rare items found on the Murray River

New research by archaeologists has described rare shell artifacts found at Calperum Station and Murrawong (Glen Lossie) on the Murray River in South Australia.

The artefacts were found at sites known to archaeologists as shell mounds during field trips by scientists at Flinders and Griffith University in collaboration with the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation and the Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation.

Two of the modified freshwater mussel shells are perforated, the other is serrated. The authors say the finely serrated shell is a very rare artifact with few nearby Australian examples known to exist.

The finds date back to around 6000-600 years and more than double the known examples of such artefacts from this region.

Professor Amy Roberts of Flinders University, the lead author of the article, says while cluster sites are a common type in many parts of the country, shell artifacts are rarely identified there.

“These artefacts remind us that landfills are not only leftover meals eaten long ago, but also provide insight into Indigenous technologies and cultural activities. It is a remarkable object to look at, but also very enigmatic.

In more than 25 years of recording archaeological sites in the Riverland, including several hundred shell mounds, co-author Craig Westell says he’s never encountered an object like the Serrated Artifact.

Potential uses for perforated shells include ornamentation, threading tools, and scraping fibers, while the serrated artifact may have been used for ornamentation, crafts, or as a food utensil.

Ngarrindjeri archaeologist Dr Chris Wilson says that accounts of the use of seashells recorded by Indigenous Elders who lived along the Murray River allowed the team to reflect on the functional, symbolic and aesthetic importance of these objects.

“This recent discovery of seashells confirms that our ancestors not only made utensils and tools for everyday use, but they were also good at making artistic pieces using all readily available materials.”

“The research Amy and her team are doing in partnership with the Murray River and Mallee First Peoples has been greatly appreciated, their research giving us more precise details of our ancestral history in the Riverland,” the spokesperson said. of River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation. Fiona Giles. “

The article “Aboriginal Serrated and Perforated Shell Artifacts from the Murray River, South Australia” (2021) by AL Roberts, C. Westell, C. Wilson, M. Langley, River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation and the Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation published in Archeology in Oceania.