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Important Information about Archaeological Material

Page contents

• Introduction
• Why are Aboriginal sites and artefacts important?
• What you should do if you have collected an artefact since 1967?
• What you should do if you find an artefact or site?

Introduction

Aboriginal sites and artefacts are an important part of Australia's cultural heritage. Sites, and the artefacts associated with them, tell us about the way of life for Aboriginal people in the past, and many of these places and the material associated with them continue to have great cultural significance to Aboriginal communities today.

Under the National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) Act (1974) it is illegal to disturb, damage, deface or destroy Aboriginal sites or artefacts without a special permit or consent issued by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). This Act applies only to material collected since 1967.

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Why are Aboriginal sites and artefacts important?

A single artefact is usually part of a much bigger picture. It may be associated with other less recognisable artefacts or with other evidence of past human activity (e.g. hearths, faunal or animal remains, rock art) which together provide important information about the use of particular places in the past. By removing an artefact from a site, it loses this contextual information and therefore we learn less about the past.

Removing an artefact from a site is a partial destruction of a site. It removes part of the story that the site can tell. If each visitor to a site removed an artefact, over time there would be nothing left.

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What you should do if you have collected an artefact since 1967?

We recommend the following:

• Contact a National Parks and Wildlife Service Aboriginal Site Officer or Aboriginal Heritage Officer, or a regional zone archaeologist via the National Parks and Wildlife Service Head Office. Take their advice on how to proceed.
• If you remember where you found it you should put the artefact back.

If you cannot return the artefact to the site where it was found we recommend that you either:

• Hand the artefact to a National Parks and Wildlife Service local office.
• Hand the artefact to the Local Aboriginal Land Council and/or an Aboriginal Cultural Centre or Keeping Place in the area where you collected it.
• Hand the artefact to the Anthropology Branch, Australian Museum. Please contact Archaeological Project Officer, Rebecca Conway before doing so.

It is really important that when returning an artefact you provide as much information as possible about where and when you collected it. The more specific information you can provide, the easier it will be to return it to the appropriate site, National Parks and Wildlife Service office, cultural owners or museum collection area.

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What you should do if you find an artefact or site?

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPSW) needs to have consistent information about sites in order to protect them. They have specific site recording forms for this purpose and these record information like the location of the site, a description of the environment, a sketch of the site, a description of the site features, photographs etc. If you find an artefact or site or believe you have, you should:

• Leave the site as it is. Do not move or remove artefacts from the site.
• Notify the National Parks and Wildlife Service If you believe a site has not previously been recorded so that it can be entered into their Aboriginal Sites Register.
• Document the artefact, for example, by taking photographs, drawing a sketch, noting dimensions, if you are interested in what a particular artefact is or what it may have been used for. This is much better than removing it from a site. You are welcome to contact Archaeological Project Officer, Rebecca Conway for stone tool identifications.

For more information on the NPWS ACT (1974) and the management of Aboriginal sites visit the National Parks and Wildlife Service website

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