A rare glimpse into ancient Aboriginal technology has been uncovered in the form of a bone artefact on Ngarrindjeri country, along the Lower Murray river system in South Australia.

Key points:

  • An ancient bone artefact has been discovered on Ngarrindjeri country in SA
  • It’s a rare find as the last bone discovery in the Lower Murray River Gorge was over 40 years ago
  • Researchers say it builds a bigger picture of Aboriginal tools

Found at Murrawong near Murray Bridge by Flinders University researchers, in collaboration with the Ngarrindjeri community, the bone is believed to have come from a macropod, an animal from the marsupial family.

Radiocarbon dated to be between 5,300 and 3,800 years old, the bone was detected in amongst a midden site that was excavated in 2008, but has only just been processed and recorded.

It has been labelled as a rare find because the last bone object uncovered in the Lower Murray River Gorge was in the 1970s.

This bone point was found on Ngarrindjeri country and researchers say it sheds more light on traditional technologies.(

Supplied: Flinders University

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Research leader and Ngarrindjeri man, Dr Christopher Wilson, said the find builds upon the present understanding of traditional practices and potential uses for the bone tool.

“Even one find of this kind provides us with opportunities to understand the use of bone technologies in the region and how such artefacts were adapted to a riverine environment,” he said.

Bone builds ancient picture

While this particular bone is broken on one end, it is believed it would have been used as a point for piercing soft materials, such as serving as the pin on a possum fur cloak or potentially even as a projectile point.

Professor Amy Roberts, who was also involved in the archaeological project, said bone artefacts were a significant discovery because they had not been studied as much as ones made out of stone or other materials.

Bone artefacts are usually found in excavations, while stone artefacts and shell middens are more likely to be discovered on the surface.(

Supplied: Flinders University

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“We are still learning a lot and thinking about where they sit in the chronology of the past and if they more prevalent at different times,” she said.

“It reminds us the material of the culture of the past and up to the present is really important … and the [need to] care for Aboriginal heritage in this country.”

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