Counter-mapping theory and its application to a constantly changing Aboriginal stone arrangement site

Resurrecting the power in the stones, developing a modern narrative of the agency and sentience of powerful stones, and recreating shared knowledge encounters at Gummingurru and its associated site architecture

“…They have brought the Bunya Aboriginal Rangers together and helped the rangers to grow into a new entity; and although the rangers have now moved away from Gummingurru, the stone arrangement site continues to draw the rangers back to support the rangers’ ongoing management of, and connection to, the place. The stones have also called to researchers who have investigated a range of information about the place (Bartholomai & Breeden, 1961; Gilbert, 2006; Jerome, 2002; Lavers, 2010; Piotto, 2012; Piotto et al., 2018; Ross, 2008, 2010; Ross & Ulm, 2010; Ross, Ulm, & Tobane, 2013; Thomas, 2021; Thomas & Ross, 2013, 2018; Thompson 2004; van Wezel, 2014), thereby ensuring that the “lost” knowledge of the place has been resurrected in a variety of ways, from finding buried stones to re‐finding the ancient and modern meaning in the stones. The Traditional Owners/Custodians argue that the stones have co‐ordinated this resurrection of knowledge and site management.…”

“…2004). He said that reconnecting with culture and ancestors at Gummingurru and its landscapes felt “like a kind of re‐birth” (Thompson, 2004, p. 11). His, and others’, return to Country is facilitated through the cultural activities onsite and the affect of these powerful stones on the people.…”

“…The people of Quandamooka (Moreton Bay) travelled long distances from the east; the Barrungam came from the north and west; while the Bundjalung travelled from the south (Jerome, 2002; Morwood, 1986, p. 91; Petrie, 1904; Rowlings‐Jensen, 2004, pp. 27‐31; Sullivan, 1977; Thompson 2004; Whincop, Sheppard, Ross, & Sneddon, 2012) to join with the local cultures of the Bunya landscape to participate in ceremonies held in the Bunya Mountains every 3 years, associated with the triennial bumper production of Bunya nuts. Many of these travelling groups would first attend the man‐making site of Gummingurru to ensure that older boys could participate in the adult activities at the Bunya Mountains.…”

From Making Automated Decision Making Visible to Mapping the Unknowable Human: Counter-Mapping Automated Decision Making in Social Services in Australia

“…Subsequent examples of counter-mapping, using participatory or grass roots approaches to mapping, include studies in Australia (Thomas and Ross, 2018), Canada (Barbosa & Burns, 2021), the United Kingdom (Firth, 2014), and the United States (Campos-Delgado, 2018). Many counter-mapping exercises use participatory methods, “mapping with” (Wilmott, 2019), rather than mapping on or over, whether this is reporting on grassroots mapping activism, or reporting on the researchers’ participation in this process.…”