Markers of Graves

Regional variation exists regarding the visible monuments that demarcate the burials of South Australian Aborigines. Ethnohistoric records show that many burials were marked on the surface (Littleton 2007). Some monuments decayed over time occasionally with assistance, while other grave markers are still evident in the landscape today (Allen & Littleton 2007).

An example of burial monuments that decayed naturally overtime and those which decayed with assistance for example, when the final stage of mourning had been carried out and the death had been avenged are noted in an early ethnohistoric account by Mitchell (1839) as presented by Allen and Littleton in their 2006 article,


“[There were] several graves enclosed in separate parterres [a level space in a garden or yard]…There were three of these parterres all lying due east and west. On one…the ashes of a hut appeared over the grave. On another, which contained two graves, (one of a small child) logs of wood, mixed with long grass, were neatly piled, transversely; and in the third, which was so ancient that the enclosing ridges were barely visible, the grave had sunk into a grassy hollow. I understood from the widow that such tombs were made for men and boys only, and that the ashes over the most recent one where the remains of the hut, which had been burnt and abandoned, after the murder of the person…had been avenged (Mitchell 1839(II): 87 – 88).”

        

Places are attracted as a site for burials based on their particular features. The act of burial typically creates a visible marker, which in turn attracts further burial and often repels settlement at that particular site. As burials accumulate their location becomes more desirable for mortuary purposes (Littleton 2007).

Visible burial makers include scarred or carved trees and artifacts associated with burials, specifically, widows caps of gypsum plaster and kopi eggs (spindle placed gypsum plaster), placed near the grave (Allen & Littleton 2007).

Scarred tree. Image credit: Australian National Museum 

Through the use of markers to delineate gravesites it is clear that the location of interment for an Australian Aboriginal was of importance. The marking of a grave implies that the site will be revisited and isn’t to be forgotten.  The South East Australian Aborigines were adapted to a sedentary hunter-gatherer lifestyle rather than a nomadic one. This is evident through their strong attachment to particular places in the landscape and the lengths in which they went to establish a clearly defined grave marker. External markings denoting a burial demonstrate to those capable of recognizing the signs that there is a grave present (Littleton 2007), ensuring an easy return to and identification of burial site.