Abstract
This paper presents the first systematic recording of a rock-art site in Torres Strait. The site is known as Kabadul Kula and is located on Dauan Island in the Top Western Islands of the Strait adjacent to the Papua New Guinea coast. Kiwai raiders from Papua painted the site prior to killing and beheading a number of Dauan Islanders according to local oral history. This associated story is consistent with ethnographically documented ritual preparations by Kiwai warriors for headhunting raids. Kabadul Kula was recorded by digital and conventional (film) photography and selected tracings. Computer enhancement of digital images of faded and nearly effaced paintings revealed images unrecognisable to the naked eye. 44 paintings represented by anthropomorphs, marine animals, canoes and non-figurative motifs were recorded. Most significant is a unique painting of a dancer wearing a fish headdress similar to headdresses made from panels of turtleshell in the 19th Century. Differential weathering and variations in the form of paintings across the site suggest a number of painting episodes. The age of the earliest paintings at the site is unknown. Rainfall runoff and termite nest growth continues to damage the paintings. Kabadul Kula is a 'special place' in the cultural landscape of Dauan Islanders.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 227-255 |
| Journal | Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, Cultural Heritage Series |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue number | Part 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2004 |
