Archaeology, Heritage and Museums | Prof Sue O’Connor
Archives in Bark: The story of Australia’s inscribed boab trees
Distinguinshed Professor Sue O’Connor | ANU
The Australian boab (Adansonia gregorii) is an iconic tree which is related to the baobabs of Africa and Madagascar. Found only in a restricted area of northwest Australia, boab trees are instantly recognisable by their massive bottle-shaped trunks. Boabs are an important economic species for Indigenous Australians with the pith, seeds and young roots all eaten, and the bast of the roots used to make string. Less well known is that many of these trees are culturally significant and some were carved with images and symbols.
I will discuss the history of research on carved boab trees in Australia, and the results of a recent survey in pursuit of boab trees with carvings undertaken with Djaru Traditonal Owners in the remote Tanami Desert of Northern Australia.
Date: Thursday, 26 May 2022
Time: 4-5pm (AEST, GMT +10)
Location: TBC
The Department of Archaeology is part of the School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry (SOPHI).