The Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology held their 2023 ASHA Conference at Mackay Entertainment & Convention Centre from 19th to 23rd September, with a theme of ‘The past in the present for historical archaeology.’
The 2022 ASHA Conference was held in New Zealand. This year, Mackay had the privilege of hosting the event.
The conference drew in a large crowd of fascinated community members, encouraging reflection on the complex dynamic between the information about our past and how it is understood and accepted in the present.
The sessions and presentations included research with relevance to contemporary issues, community-led projects, public interpretation of archaeological heritage, and evolving values in significance assessment.
Keynote Speaker, Jeff Cheng, spoke about his decade-long study uncovering invaluable insights into both Japanese and Bunun cultural heritage sites, which bear immense significance for contemporary indigenous communities.
With a presentation titled ‘The Past in the Present of the Bunun Country, the Lakulaku River Basin’ explaining Taiwan’s inhabitancy of Austronesian-speaking people before the arrival of colonizers.
Heritage practice lives in the tension between intangible and social values and the materiality of the archaeological record. Many believe historical archaeology only relates to a neutral gathering of evidence that explains the past.
However, the sites and objects in fieldwork, labs and museums comprise important places that resonate directly with living communities.
Sites and objects exist in relationship with communities in the present – not only human but also non-humans such as plants, animals and rivers.
Changing the understanding of the value and meaning of cultural heritage assists in shaping important debates within the world of historical archaeology.
The ASHA Conference also celebrated the following esteemed winners of various historical and archaeological-related awards:
● Best paper – Cassie J Gordon, Being-in-the-Roadside – Roadside Memorials as Artefacts of Contemporary Personal Heritage
● Best student paper – Ramona Lola Angelico and Angela Goh-Smith, ‘A Chinese Den’: The archaeology of intimate exchange in Jones Lane.
● Best poster – Hilda Maclean, No further “Visitations from God”: Classifying Queensland colonial deaths with the Nosological Index
● Best photograph – Tracey Martens, ‘Plain weave silk fabric excavated from a Victorian era cesspit in Melbourne CBD’
● Bursary recipients – Yongjun Qiu and Ramona Lola Angelico
Keynote Speaker Jeff Cheng
Mayor Greg Williamson of Mackay Regional Council announces opening remarks
Members of the ASHA Conference 2023
Busy hall of eventgoers at the ASHA Conference 2023 (Photo Credit: Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology)
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