Traditional owners and uni students work together to unearth history

Traditional owners and university students have joined forces to unearth historical artifacts in Ityamaiitpinna Yarta Glenthorne National Park, near Adelaide. This five-day pilot program, funded by the federal government and run by Flinders University, aims to encourage more Indigenous people to pursue careers in archaeology and share their cultural knowledge with students.

Eleven traditional owners from across Australia have been working alongside Flinders University archaeology students since the program's inception. At the former Glenthorne Farm site, they have discovered colonial-era bottles, a medicine bottle, part of a glass pane, and a window frame. The course provides both theoretical and practical training in excavation, archaeological surveying, and ground-imaging.

Traditional owner Aunty Lorna Corbett emphasized the importance of having Aboriginal people involved in the initial stages of any project concerning their ancestral lands. Fellow Palyku-Jartayi member Ashley Wedding-Corbett hopes to apply his experience to fieldwork on his own country. While the program does not offer formal archaeology qualifications, participants receive a certificate equivalent to one graduate-level archaeology topic.

Professor Ian Moffat of Flinders University noted that archaeology in Australia has historically failed to engage Indigenous people, and this program seeks to rectify that by including traditional owners' cultural knowledge and perspectives. Aunty Lorna Corbett expressed her appreciation for the two-way learning experience, highlighting the significance of preserving and passing down cultural history.

With funding secured for the next five years, traditional owners hope the program will become a permanent fixture, crucial for safeguarding and transmitting their heritage to future generations.