Congratulations Professor Anya Reading!
RST Apology to Tasmanian Aboriginal people 2021.
RST Apology to Tasmanian Aboriginal people 2021.
Radiocarbon analysis of charcoal taken from the base of a midden located within the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, Hobart, indicates that first occupancy of this site occurred some 5 000 years ago. The mussel Mytilus edulis planulatus provided the bulk of the shellfish diet which may have been supplemented with a number of small species including the gastropods Bembicium auratum and Austrocochlea constricta zebra. A feature of this site is the relatively rich supply of petrologically diverse stone artefacts. This is at variance with the general pattern for middens previously excavated in the Derwent River estuary. Also present are small, round, hard pebbles, a feature not previously reported from similar sites on the Derwent River. Scanning electron microscopic analysis of charcoal indicates that the she oak Casuarina stricta provided some of the wood fuel for fires at this site.
Published Papers
The Royal Society of Tasmania acknowledges, with deep respect, the traditional owners of this land, and the ongoing custodianship of the Aboriginal people of Tasmania. The Society pays respect to Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge that Tasmanian Aboriginal Peoples have survived severe and unjust impacts resulting from invasion and dispossession of their Country. As an institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, the Royal Society of Tasmania recognises Aboriginal cultural knowledge and practices and seeks to respect and honour these traditions and the deep understanding they represent.
On 15 February 2021, the Royal Society of Tasmania offered a formal Apology to the Tasmanian Aboriginal people.
