Hunter-gatherer archaeology and pastoral contact: Perspectives from the northwest Northern Territory, Australia

We discuss four components of the post-European archaeological record of the northwest Northern Territory, Australia; site locations and contents, rock art, stone tools, and evidence of plant food use. These provide insights into how Aboriginal hunter-gatherers have negotiated their interaction with pastoral colonization, and the conditions under which either continuity or change occurred. The strongest influence on both the latter was Aboriginal people's attempt to maintain both social obligations and attachments to particular places. This was more successful than in many parts of Australia because of the limitations the wet season placed on pastoral activity. We discuss the implications of this particular contact situation for understanding longer term change in hunter-gatherer societies.