The Plasticity of Sacredness: Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Management in Western Australia

Archaeological evidence from Western Australia provides us with the earliest indication of Aboriginal occupation back to more than 50,000 years ago. Yet, ancient dates are not only of interest to archaeologists but also to Aboriginal Australians today in the post-native title era, where antiquity affords a sense of authenticity and belonging. While academic discourse and scientific methods bring validity to archaeological evidence, the concept of time is a different thing altogether to Aboriginal people who associate the starting point of mountains, animals, plants, waters, rock paintings, and other features of the landscape to the Dreamtime cosmology – a highly complex cultural concept that refers to an immemorial time also thriving in the present, an era “in and through time,” according to some authors. These places of cultural significance have different values, and some have more elements of restrictive knowledge than others. Like many other First Nations worldwide, Aboriginal Australians have faced the destruction of their cultural and sacred places. Sacredness is a malleable concept according to different perceptions, contexts, and interests, especially economic. Discussed here are examples where Aboriginal places of cultural significance have been challenged and unrecognized. Also, the role of archaeology in the creation of new paradigms and the actions that are taking place in Western Australia to create a more integrative archaeological practice of Indigenous knowledge and values.