Songline Project

Traditionally, Aboriginal heritage sites have been recorded site by site, with little to link them together. A project is now underway in the southern Flinders Ranges to record an entire song-line, integrating both the story and the archaeology. Viliwarinha Yura Aboriginal Corporationis working in partnership with theDepartment of Premier and Cabinet,Aboriginal Affairs and ReconciliationDivision (DPC-AARD) and consultantarchaeologist Peter Saad to developa way of recording song lines andassociated heritage sites, investigatingboth the key sites and working out whatdefines the pathways between them.The fieldwork has been shaped by theaccounts of elders and senior communitypeople, while Flinders University studentshave joined with young people fromYappala and nearby Hawker, to help

record sites.

It has been great to see the enthusiasm of the many young people who have helped in the fieldwork, with several showing an interest and an aptitude for archaeological survey, taking especially to site identification and the Global Positioning System (GPS).

Regina McKenzie, representing Viliwarinha, was excited to see the young people engage in the project and hopes that the experience encourages them to consider future pathways in heritage. The song line project has inspired and helped all involved to look outside the square. DPC-AARD would like to thank and acknowledge all who have made

this project possible: elders Ken and Margaret McKenzie, Regina McKenzie, Archaeologist Peter Saad, Kelly Michael and Flinders Uni students, and of course, the Hawker kids - Anna Oakley, Pearl Irlam, Quentin Coulthard (Tin Tin), Daniel Coulthard (Dan Dan), Todd Irlam

and the boys from Yappala. Aboriginal Heritage BranchDPC-AARD

Additionally, as part of the song line project, staff from the Heritage Information Team are exploring ways that song lines can be displayed on a map and within a Geographic Information System (GIS). To assist with the recording of sites and important parts of the song line story, a new GPS device was acquired along with a Global Positioning System (GPS) digital camera and a video camera to record the knowledge shared by Aboriginal

people. Using this technology we were able to begin to define important parts

of the song line, including the linking of the features in the landscape and the

culturally significant areas. Through this project and the sharing of knowledge by Aboriginal people, staff at DPC-AARD are learning more about the complexity of the Aboriginal cultural landscape and are exploring better ways of recording this information and conserving this invaluable information for future generations.