Pulling back layers of history, culture and identity

Pulling back layers of history, culture and identity



In this photograph, taken at Pomberuk, or Hume Reserve, on the River Murray, archaeologist Christopher Wilson sits on what had been the base of a rainwater tank built by the local Aboriginal people between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries. The Ngarrindjeri community is working with the local council to conserve the area, and is regrowing native plants, such as the umbrella bush (Acacia ligulata) seen in the background, to prevent erosion. “As a proud member of the Aboriginal Ngarrindjeri, Kaurna and Latje Latje Nations… this site inspires me because my people have occupied this landscape for tens of thousands of years,” says Wilson. “As I go through the layers of excavation, I’m also pulling back the layers of my history, my culture and my identity.” (Nature | 2 min read) (Iain Bond for Nature)