Buhrich, Alice, and Murison, Johnny (2020) The Western Yalanji dendroglyph: the life and death of an Aboriginal carved tree. Journal of Community Archaeology and Heritage, 7 (4). pp. 255-271.

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Abstract

Australian Aboriginal rainforest dendroglyphs are a rare and enigmatic cultural resource. Only twenty-three individual rainforest carved trees have been recorded, all in remote parts of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area which are rarely visited. The Western Yalanji dendroglyph is a near life size male anthropomorphic or zoomorphic figure carved into the trunk of a yellow walnut (Beilschmedia bancroftii) five metres above ground level on the Windsor Tableland, in the Western Yalanji estate. The Yalanji dendroglyph is a reminder of the vulnerability of rainforest dendroglyphs to natural processes. Inspections in 2015 identified significant fungal rot in the tree and by 2018 the tree had fallen. This paper documents the history, death and replication of the Yalanji dendroglyph by Western Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation.

Item ID:	62926
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2051-820X
Keywords:	Dendroglyphs; culturally modified trees; wet tropics; Western Yalanji, rainforest Aboriginal culture
Copyright Information:	© 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Funders:	Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS), Wet Tropics Management Authority (WTMA), James Cook University (JCU), Queensland Museum, Max Plank Institute
Date Deposited:	28 Jul 2020 02:01
FoR Codes:	44 HUMAN SOCIETY > 4401 Anthropology > 440107 Social and cultural anthropology @ 25% 45 INDIGENOUS STUDIES > 4501 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, language and history > 450101 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander archaeology @ 50% 45 INDIGENOUS STUDIES > 4501 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, language and history > 450118 Conservation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage @ 25%
SEO Codes:	95 CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING > 9503 Heritage > 950302 Conserving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage @ 100%
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