Badu 15 and the Papuan‐Austronesian settlement of Torres Strait

Abstract

Archaeological excavations on the island of Badu have for the first time revealed evidence of people in Torres Strait before 2500 years BP. We interpret this evidence as representing three phases of island use and occupation. Phase 1 (8000–6000 years BP), when the high islands of Torres Strait were part of terminal Greater Australia, saw permanent occupation of the region. During Phase 2 (6000‐c.3500/3000 years BP), the Western Islands of Torres Strait were occasionally visited from Cape York. And in Phase 3 (c.3500/3000 years BP to present) the islands became occupied mainly by speakers of languages with strong Papuan and Austronesian elements from the north and northeast. We argue for Austronesian influences at the tip of Australia during the late Holocene.

Mid-Holocene Aboriginal occupation of offshore islands in northern Australia? A reassessment of Wurdukanhan, Mornington Island, southern Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia

“…However, as the dataset increases so too does the evidence for continuity of island and landscape use throughout the marine transgression (Barker, 2004;David et al, 2004;O'Connor, 1999;Wright, 2011). While there is evidence for mid-Holocene hiatuses in island use (Sim and Wallis, 2008), the overall patterns of population-environment interaction are becoming more nuanced when interpreted within broad and local-scale environmental change (Ulm, 2013).…”

“…Islands situated along the temperate southeast coast of Australia exhibit strong evidence for seasonal occupation (McNiven, 2000;Sullivan, 1982;Vanderwal, 1978), whereas islands in northern Australia have variable signatures in the timing and nature of use throughout the Holocene (Barker, 1991(Barker, , 2004David et al, 2004;Sim and Wallis, 2008;Wright, 2011). In the Whitsundays and western Torres Strait there is evidence for use of some islands during the Holocene marine transgression (Barker, 1991;David et al, 2004;Lamb and Barker, 2001;Wright, 2011). Vanderlin Island (Sim and Wallis, 2008) and islands off the northwest Kimberley coast (O'Connor, 1999) exhibit short occupation hiatuses during initial islandisation phases with re-occupation post-marine transgression.…”

“…Some larger islands exhibit evidence for permanent occupation with a seasonal/episodic pattern of use of smaller satellite islands for focused activities (Border, 1999;McNiven, 2000). While there are numerous explanations offered for the variation in use of tropical and temperate islands, such as land area, resource availability, distance from shore, and technology, their occupation and use needs to be considered in the context of the archaeology of adjacent areas (David et al, 2004). Sim and Wallis (2008) presented a model for Holocene coastal and island abandonment for the southern Gulf of Carpentaria.…”

Palaeoecology of the South Wellesley Archipelago. A history of human occupation and environmental change

“…Evidence of increased burning in the late Holocene likely reflects increasing human populations and expansion to island and inland locations (McGowan et al, 2012;Shulmeister, 1992;Stevenson et al, 2015). Archaeological evidence suggests occupation of islands in the Gulf of Carpentaria and Badu in the Torres Strait occurred in the last 3,000 years as sea level stabilised, with intensive island use in the last 1,000 years (David et al, 2004;Memmott et al, 2016;Rosendahl et al, 2016;Sim and Wallis, 2008;Ulm et al, 2010). Further paleo-records reconstructing fire regimes at a local and regional scale are needed to understand the role of fire in the environment, and its role in maintaining savanna vegetation in northern Australia (Lynch et al, 2007).…”

“…yr BP (Rowe, 2006(Rowe, , 2007a(Rowe, , 2007b(Rowe, , 2015 Badu 15 Torres Strait Islands 9,000 cal. yr BP (David et al, 2004) Maibad Swamp Torres Strait Islands 6,500 cal. yr BP (Barham, 1999(Barham, , 2000 The humid tropics of northeastern Australia…”