People and fish: late Holocene rock art at Wulk Lagoon, Arnhem Land

Taçon and Brockwell (1995) made an important contribution to the study of Arnhem Land archaeology by showing that, in combining rock art with environmental change, archaeological sequences and artefact assemblages, a multi-disciplinary synthesis for a regional archaeological narrative could be achieved. A similar approach was taken by David and Lourandos (1998) in an overview of rock art and archaeology in Cape York Peninsula, northern Queensland. This chapter proposes to examine the rock art of the Wulk Lagoon area, northwestern Arnhem Land, by using approaches discussed by Taçon and Brockwell (1995) and David and Lourandos (1998) to analyse rock art, with a methodology that includes reference to environment, ecology and climate change along with local archaeological sequences from excavated rockshelters. The late Holocene archaeological record of Arnhem Land is abundant, owing to high levels of Aboriginal occupation around the extensive wetlands and on the Arnhem Land plateau. Investigations of stone artefact assemblages in Australia have utilised approaches such as manufacturing technologies and proliferation events apparently linked to El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and subsequent responses to risk in a context of environmental change.