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Symbolic language in Torres Strait, NE Australia: images from rock art, portable objects and human scars

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Liam M. Brady
Liam M. Brady*
Affiliation:
*Centre for Australian Indigenous Studies, Monash University, PO Box 55, Clayton, Victoria, Australia 3800 (Email: Liam.Brady@arts.monash.edu.au)
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Extract

The Torres Strait is often in the research literature – unsurprisingly since it is not only a key area for early settlement but one where ancient and modern practice resonate. Rock art is a prominent archaeological source for the region – but not the only one. In this study the author shows how rock art interconnects with imagery on portable artefacts and scarification – scarring patterns on skin – to define cultural zones of the last few centuries in territories occupied by both horticulturalists and hunter-gatherers.

Keywords

Torres Straitrock arthunter-gatherershorticulturalistsportable objectsscarificationcultural zones

Information

Type
Research article
Information
Antiquity , Volume 82 , Issue 316 , June 2008 , pp. 336 - 350
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 2008

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