Helping the police with their inquiries: archaeology and politics at Angophora Reserve rockshelter, N.S.W.

In New South Wales the legal provisions for the protection of Aboriginal skeletal remains are clear. However, when human remains were discovered at the Aboriginal site of Angophora Reserve rockshelter in Sydney, the situation became complex and confused as coronial investigations and legal procedures dominated archaeological methodology and principle.

In this paper we discuss how normal archaeological techniques had to be modified, often beyond acceptable levels, because of the demands of the Coroner's Court. We also discuss the legal and moral ramifications of this case, and focus on the philosophical issue of identification and retention of archaeological Aboriginal skeletal remains when there is conflict between different groups of ‘professionals‘.

We also provide some initial results from the excavation, and outline the methodological constraints which were introduced by external influences. The problems and political ramifications generated by this approach are discussed within the framework of archaeological research and cultural resource management.