47, 000 years of Aboriginal plant use and monsoon rainforest connections in the Kimberley, northwest Australia

A significant proportion of Australian Aboriginal diet and nutrition is met using food obtained from plants. This thesis provides an investigation of people-environment relationships by examining macrobotanical assemblages recovered from nine archaeological sites in the Kimberley region of northwest Australia. The study of macrobotanical remains (referring exclusively to seeds, nuts, fruits, and other floristic elements), in association with other cultural materials excavated from stratified archaeological contexts, has provided insights into peoples diet and ecological relationships in the past. This research demonstrates monsoon rainforest ecosystems have played a fundamental role in Aboriginal lifeways in northwest Australia over the last 47,000 years.