Engraved material culture in a fluid landscape: Looking at designs on shields, spearthrowers and boomerangs in the Port Hedland rock art repertoire

This paper looks at particular material culture (shield, spearthrower and boomerang) engravings identified within the Port Hedland rock art repertoire, and how these engravings interact with coastal and marine identities in the Pilbara, Australia. Examples of shields, spearthowers and boomerangs are marked by distinct repeated designs, yet the designs vary between these three material culture objects. Superimposition analysis of these motifs suggest that they fall within the earlier phases of engraving at Port Hedland, contemporaneous with distinctive marine fauna. The relationship between these two motif classes will be examined against land and sea-based identity markers within the rock art.