Over 30000 rock paintings documented at sites across North and West Australia

Archaeologists and aboriginal landowners surveyed over 250 sites in Western Australia’s Kimberley region, documenting more than 30000 images of prehistoric art.

Figures with spears and nets at Wanjina rock shelter (by The Guardian)
Figures with spears and nets at Wanjina rock shelter (by The Guardian)

Over a period of three months the experts and representatives of the Balanggarra people recorded remote sites spread across the Northern Territory. The region is said to contain  evidence of Australia’s earliest settlement and is a remarkable and unequalled historical resource. The images include geometrical shapes and depictions of animals and people, including elongated human forms known as Gwion figures.

Elongated human depictions, known as Gwion figures (by The Guardian)
Elongated human depictions, known as Gwion figures (by The Guardian)

By comparing the ages of various rock art sites, and the occupation history of associated camp sites the archaeologists will be able to reveal the genesis of regional identity by learning the history and shared cultures of Indigenous people in the area and the process of how the Top End formed into the distinct regional groups of the Kimberley, Victoria River District and Arnhem Land.

Examination of the Gwion site on King George River (by The Guardian)
Examination of the Gwion site on King George River (by The Guardian)

(after The Guardian)

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