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Australia & Oceania

Mt. Herschel, Antarctica in the wintertime

Did Ancient Polynesian Sailors Reach Antarctica? Not Quite, Study Says

Polynesian peoples were sailing far and wide across the southwestern Pacific Ocean long ago, demonstrating a seafaring skill that is both impressive and awe-inspiring. Given how far they advanced in...
Wilgie Mia, the Oldest Continuous Mining Operation in the World

Wilgie Mia, the Oldest Continuous Mining Operation in the World

Wilgie Mia, known by the Wajarri Traditional Owners as Thuwarri Thaa (the place of red ochre), lies in the Weld Ranges of Australia. It is the largest and deepest underground Aboriginal ochre mine in...
Moai Statues on Rapa Nui, Easter Island.

DNA Evidence Shows Ecocide Theory of Easter Island Is False

Analysis of ancient DNA has provided more evidence to upend the long-standing theory that Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, experienced a "self-inflicted population collapse." For years, scholars believed...
The excavation team at Juukan Gorge in 2014

47,000 years of Aboriginal Heritage Was Destroyed in Mining Blast

Michael Slack et al./The Conversation Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains an image of deceased people, which is used with permission from the Traditional...
Top image: Entrance to Cloggs Cave. 	Source: David, B et al/Nature

Longest Tradition: Australian Cave Holds Evidence of 12,000-year-old Ritual

In societies without writing, archaeologically tracing ethnographically known rituals back more than a few hundred years is rare. However, new archaeological evidence has been gleaned from the...
Hundreds of huge stone statues known as moai built by earlier residents are taken by some as evidence of a onetime much larger population.Source: Stephanie Morcinek via Unsplash/ Columbia Climate School

Study Challenges Popular Idea That Easter Islanders Committed ‘Ecocide’

A new study is challenging the long-held belief that the ancient inhabitants of Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui, caused their own societal collapse through environmental mismanagement. Instead...
Sacred Aboriginal Women’s Site Contained 7,000 Years of Tool Making

Sacred Aboriginal Women's Site Contained 7,000 Years of Tool Making

Irina Ponomareva et al./The Conversation Investigation of a sacred area at Avon Downs in Jangga Country, Central Queensland, has uncovered evidence of stone tool production in a place that was...
Earth structures were being constructed on Tongatapu around AD 300. Source: Phillip Parton/ANU

Oldest City Found on a Pacific Island Was Constructed in 300 AD in Tonga

With the assistance of data obtained in 2011 with advanced laser scanning technology, archaeologists have been able to identify the remains of a 1,700-year-old lost city on the island of Tongatapu in...
Rock art prehistoric aboriginal cave paintings of human silhouettes. Source: Jan/Adobe Stock

Five Fascinating Mysteries About Prehistoric Australia (Video)

The Aboriginal culture provides a captivating glimpse into ancient human societies, potentially tracing back to the earliest human migrations out of Africa. Before Western contact, their history was...
Drowned landscape map of the study area. 	Source: US Geological Survey, Geoscience Australia/The Conversation

Submerged Australian Land Was Spoken of in Indigenous Myths

In a groundbreaking revelation, researchers have unveiled the discovery of a vast submerged land to the north of contemporary Australia, that held up to 500,000 people. Submerged due to rising sea...
The enigmatic underwater Yonaguni monument. Source: nudiblue/Adobe Stock

Is the 10,000-Year-Old Yonaguni Monument a Man-Made Marvel or Nature's Art?

Nestled along the southern coast of Yonaguni, Japan, are enigmatic submerged ruins that have captured the fascination of researchers and ignited fervent debates. Believed to date back approximately...
Rakau Momori Moriori tree carvings. Source: Royston Vasey / CC BY-SA 3.0

Endangered Heritage: The Rakau Momori Tree Carvings of the Moriori

Wood carving, or whakairo , has a long and rich history in Maori culture. Traditionally, Maori artisans, utilizing woods like totara, kauri and pohutukawa, crafted intricate designs laden with...
Easter Island. Source: Nadge / Adobe Stock.

How the Civilization on Easter Island Collapsed (Video)

The civilization on Easter Island faced a complex and ultimately catastrophic decline. Initially, this tiny island boasted a lush palm forest and abundant bird species, allowing its inhabitants, the...
Bow of the Polynesian Hokulea. Source: lameeks / Adobe Stock.

Modern Polynesians Recreate Ancient Voyage With No Tech (Video)

Embarking on a voyage that bridges time and tradition, modern-day adventurers pay homage to the ancient Polynesian voyagers who first discovered the remote Hawaiian islands . Guided by the celestial...
Songlines, or dreaming tracks, are songs and rituals associated with migration routes spanning the Australian continent. Source: Rick / Adobe Stock

Tracing Songlines: Unraveling Aboriginal Australia's Ancient Oral Maps

From as early as 65,000 to 80,000 years ago, the first human settlements appeared on the vast continent of Australia. These left behind an archaeological record which bears witness to the remarkable...
Lasseter’s quest to find a huge reef of gold. Source: Zaleman/Adobe Stock

Lasseter’s Reef and One Man’s Maddened Quest for Gold

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the search for gold was at an all-time high. People discovered vast goldfields all across the world, attracting newcomers who wanted to try their luck. Gold miners and...
Tikami stone monument in Nuku Hiva. Source: emperorcosar / Adobe Stock

The Mysterious 'Alien' Stone Monuments of Nuku Hiva

Nuku Hiva is known as the largest island in French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean. Beyond its history as the largest of the Marquesas Islands, it is especially known for the stone monuments scattered...
Christine Palmer, a Kngwarreye elder from central Australia, with the red gum casket carrying Mungo Man home in 2017. And now, as of April 2022, all these “illegally taken” Aboriginal remains will be reburied in the landscape where they were found in the early 1970s. Source: Justin McManus / The Age

Mungo Man’s Remains Returned For Reburial to His Aboriginal Ancestors

The traditional meeting place of the Mutthi, Nyiampaar, and Barkinji Aboriginal tribes of Australia, in the Willandra Lakes region, has been a source of historical wonder and controversy over the...
Indigenous rock art at Western Australia’s Murujuga National Park. Source: totajla / Adobe Stock

Fertilizer Giant Blocked from Removing Aboriginal Indigenous Rock Art

The Australian federal government has blocked a multinational fertilizer company from removing indigenous rock art from Western Australia’s Burrup Peninsula. This UNESCO World Heritage-nominated area...
Australia’s Uluru. Source: bennymarty / Adobe Stock

Uluru: Australia’s Most Iconic Landmark and Largest Monolith in the World

Uluru, once known as Ayers Rock, is one of Australia’s most iconic landmarks. Located in the Northern Territory of Australia, it is the single largest monolith rock in the world. At a staggering...
Though we do not have many images of Pemulwuy, the prominent Australian Aboriginal rebel leader of the late 18th century, we know he was strong like this man at an Aboriginal culture show in Queensland. 		Source: Rafael Ben-Ari / Adobe Stock

Pemulwuy: Prominent Aboriginal Rebel Leader Murdered in 1802 AD

Pemulwuy was an Aboriginal Australian who lived during the 18 th century. This was the period when the Europeans began to colonize Australia. The arrival of the Europeans in Australia had a profound...
Tongan warriors or Tongan athletes getting ready to play kasivaki underwater rugby in Tonga.		Source: Tonga Rugby Union

Kasivaki: An Ancient Tongan Game That Was More Than Underwater Rugby

When most people think of the sport rugby, Tonga is not at the top of the list of competitors. But the island nation of the south Pacific appears to have had its own ancient version of the game with...
Wandjina rock art

The Mysterious Aboriginal Rock Art of the Wandjina Sky Beings

One of the most intriguing and perplexing legends of the Australian Aboriginal people is that of the Wandjinas, the supreme spirit beings and creators of the land and people. The land of the Wandjina...
Old image of Parramatta River by Broadhurst, William Henry, 1855-1927	Source: Public Domain

Meta-Study of Parramatta Reveals All About Sydney’s Pre-Historic Past

A team of archaeologists asked if Aboriginal population recovery in Australia was delayed after the Last Glacial Maximum? For answers, they analyzed archaeological evidence from Australia’s...

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