Being Mesolithic in life and death

Fifty years ago approaches to Mesolithic identity were limited to ideas of man the hunter, woman the gatherer, and evidence of non-normative practice was ascribed to "shamans" and to "ritual", and that was that. As post-processual critiques have touched Mesolithic studies, however, this has changed. In the first decade of the 21st century a strong body of work on Mesolithic identity in life, as well as death, has enabled us to think beyond modern western categories to interpret identity in the Mesolithic. Our paper reviews these changing approaches, offering a series of case studies of such approaches, before developing these case studies to advocate an assemblage approach to identity in the Mesolithic

‘Not just a piece of skin in front of you’—a qualitative exploration of the experiences of adolescents with eczema and psoriasis with healthcare professionals

Background There is little qualitative research in the UK focussing on adolescents’ experience of their healthcare providers, and inflammatory skin conditions are a common heath problem in adolescence. Aim To explore the experiences of adolescents with eczema and psoriasis with healthcare professionals, and to distil the participants’ key messages for their healthcare providers. Design This is a secondary thematic analysis of interviews with adolescents with eczema or psoriasis. Participants There were a total of 41 text transcripts of interviews with young people with eczema or psoriasis who had given permission for secondary analysis; 23 of the participants had eczema, and 18 psoriasis. Participants were living in the UK at time of interview, and aged 15–24 years old. Results We have distilled the following key messages from young people with eczema and psoriasis for healthcare providers: (1) address the emotional impact; (2) give more information, with the subtheme and (3) appreciate patient research. We identified the following eczema-specific themes: (ECZ-4) ‘It’s not taken seriously’; (ECZ-5) offer choice in treatment and (ECZ-6) lack of structure/conflicting advice. Two psoriasis-specific themes were identified: (PSO-4) feeling dehumanised/treat me as a person; and (PSO-5) think about how treatments will affect daily life. Conclusion This qualitative data analysis highlights the need for greater recognition of the emotional impact of skin disease in adolescence, and for more comprehensive provision of information about the conditions. We call for greater sensitivity and flexibility in our approach to adolescents with skin disease, with important implications for healthcare delivery to this group

Marine carbon reservoir variability in Torres Strait: preliminary results of AMS dating of live-collected shell specimens.

Despite routine dating of marine shell by Quaternary scientists in the Torres Strait region, no systematic evaluation of the applicability of the recommended DeltaR value has been undertaken. This value can be shown to be problematic. It is based on only three samples from Torres Strait and two from the west coast of Cape York Peninsula, together spanning 125±60 to -14±60 years; the samples are from different oceanographic provinces; the dated taxa are not amongst those commonly dated by contemporary researchers; and all of the dates were obtained over 20 years ago before the advent of high precision AMS dating. This project attempts to address this deficiency through the dating of a suite of well-provenanced live-collected shell specimens using the high precision ANTARES AMS facilities at ANSTO. Dated samples are largely derived from a unique assemblage of well-documented live-collected shell specimens in the Australian Museum from Murray Island and Albany Passage collected by Charles Hedley in August-October 1907, supplemented by smaller collections from elsewhere in Torres Strait. Sample selection focused on suspension-feeders (Arcidae, Mesodesmatidae, Veneridae), although carnivores (Volutidae), herbivores/omnivores (Neritidae) and algae grazers (Trochidae) were included to examine inter-taxa variability. Preliminary results help establish more robust regional DeltaR values for the region based on shellfish commonly dated by Quaternary scientists and allow examination of localised variability in DeltaR values. These findings have broad implications for refining chronologies in coastal archaeology and geomorphology in the Torres Strait region, including studies of sea-level change, reef and coral cay development, coastal dune sequences, storm event frequency and archaeological trends.International Union for Quaternary Researc

Watery places: Stories of environmental and community renewal

Not only is water essential to life, it also has the ability to heal; connecting ecosystems with community for mutual renewal. Here we focus on three regional centres in Victoria, Australia, where water systems have been severely impacted, causing vulnerability to environmental health and social fabric. Each case study shows fractured communities finding a connection to place through the vitality-not just the amenity-of water. The Black Saturday wildfires of 2009 left the community of Marysville devastated. The waterways also suffered from severely degraded water quality. Whereas people may choose to walk away, fish cannot. The first case study involves a partnership between state government authorities and community to move a threatened population of Barred Galaxias to safer waters, return them to their home two years later, rehabilitate habitat, and grow advocacy. This is a story of entwined ecological and community renewal. Maryborough, once a bustling regional centre, suffered from the double impact of economic downturn and the Millennial Drought (2000-2010). The drinking water quality decreased so significantly, that one of Victoria’s most disadvantaged communities no longer trusted what came out of the tap. An examination of this breakdown in trust enabled the local water authority to explore ways to rebuild confidence and reconnect people to town water. The Morwell River has been significantly modified by the coal mines and power stations of the Latrobe Valley. The closure of the Hazelwood Power Station in 2017 now provides an opportunity to give this river back to the community. This final study looks at the potential of ‘rewilding’ the Morwell River to return environmental and cultural heritage, and develop economic, social and educational outcomes. © The Author(s) 2020

Consecrated Journeys: A Torres Strait Islander Space, Time Odyssey

Religious rituals are a fundamental aspect of being human. They are performed by peoples from around the world and preserved within material and written histories. Archaeologists seek physical traces of these rituals, recognising that this information can provide a window into the life-ways of our modern human ancestors and the way in which rituals transition between sacred places (e.g. Turner 1969). Most research has focused on the ritual performances of world religions (i.e. those that have a global reach, monumental architecture and written scriptures), with ritual passage within Indigenous contexts less well understood. This is despite ethnographic information demonstrating complex and formalised ritual circuits, ancestor trackways and song-lines within these locales. This chapter examines the ethnography and archaeology of "Waiet markai," a consecrated journey that involved initiation ceremonies spanning three Eastern Torres Strait (henceforth ETS) islands. Specifically we focus on "Ne" on Waier, one stage of the "Waiet markai" and address two questions that emerged within this research: (i) can temporal change be isolated at important ETS Islander ritual places? (ii) Do echoes of the staged Waiet markai process survive in the structure of ceremonies and site architecture? We argue that an integrated approach, drawing on ethnography and archaeology, allows us to better understand ritual processes within Indigenous contexts. Performative models of ritual passage allow us to better understand archaeological and ethnographic anomalies at Ne and move beyond universal conceptions of sacred sites as ritual isolates

Australian Aboriginal Astronomy: Overview

Abstract: The traditional cultures of Aboriginal Australians include a significant astronomical component, perpetuated through oral tradition, ceremony, and art. This astronomical component includes a deep understanding of the motion of objects in the sky, and this knowledge was used for practical purposes such as constructing calendars. There is also evidence that traditional Aboriginal Australians made careful records and measurements of cyclical phenomena, paid careful attention to unexpected phenomena such as eclipses and meteorite impacts, and could determine the cardinal points to an accuracy of a few degrees.