Jason M. Gibson and Russell Mullett
A Gunaikurnai Jeraeil re-enactment c.1883 with men, women, and children. Left to right: (standing) Big Joe, Billy the Bull, Wild Harry, Billy McDougall, Snowy River Charlie, unidentified man, Bobby Brown, Billy McLeod (Toolabar), Larry Johnson. Woman, second from right: Emma McDougall. State Library of Victoria
After 140 years, researchers have rediscovered an Aboriginal ceremonial ground in Victoria’s East Gippsland. The site was host to the last young men’s initiation ceremony of the Gunaikurnai back in 1884, witnessed by the anthropologist A.W. Howitt.
Howitt’s field notes, combined with contemporary Gunaikurnai knowledge of their country, has led to the rediscovery. The site is located on public land, on the edge of the small fishing village of Seacombe. Its precise location had been lost following decades of colonial suppression of Gunaikurnai ritual and religious practices.
Remains of a 2,000-year-old Bogong moth is first evidence early humans used tools to eat bugs dailymail.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailymail.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
2000 Years of Moth Meals
According to Monash University Archaeologist Professor Bruno David in a University article, the conditions inside the limestone cave helped preserve the Bogong moth remains. He told the Independent that the cool ambient temperature made the soils more alkaline and less acidic, and this means they re perfectly suited to preserve organic materials. Applying a seldom used analysis technique known as “biochemical staining” the grinding stone tool and the moth remains were set on a microscope slide and stained with a special dye that makes collagen and proteins [crushed-up insect remains] within rock fluorescent, therefore, easier to identify.
Study Detects Traces of Ancient Australian Food Source
BUCHAN, AUSTRALIA The
Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports that microscopic remains of Bogong moths were detected on a grindstone recovered from Cloggs Cave, which is located in southeastern Australia. “We have oral histories about eating the Bogong moth in our culture, but since early settlement a lot of that knowledge has been lost, so it’s exciting to use new technologies to connect with old traditions and customs,” said GunaiKurnai Elder Russell Mullett of the GunaiKurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC), which initiated the project in partnership with Monash University s Indigenous Studies Centre. Using residue analysis, independent archaeologist and pharmacologist Birgitta Stephenson identified ground moth wings and legs that were processed for food some 2,000 years ago. Ancient GunaiKurnai people traveled to the region each summer to harvest the billions of high-fat moths that migrate