Tattoo link reveals tribe movement: 03-07-2008
A new study drawing parallels between designs on the skin of early indigenous Australians and artwork on rocks and portable objects may be used to track the historical movements of groups.
The study, which shows the link between early body art and cultural identity, was carried out by Liam Brady of Monash University,
"Distinctive design conventions can be considered markers of social interaction so, in a way (they are) a cultural signature of sorts that archaeologists can use to understand ways people were interacting in the past," Mr Brady told Discovery News.
Images from early turtle shell, wood and stone matching images etched onto the human body by "scarification" can be used to reveal where groups travelled and how the acted in relation to other cultures.
The study found four prevailing images to be a fish headdress, a snake, a four pointed star and triangle variants.
It also found that the Torres Strait was inhabited by both horticulturalists and hunter-gatherer groups during its early history.