Life

Clever Woman

Colin Pardoe, Physical anthropologist, believes that because of her age the woman may have been regarded as a "clever person", someone perceived as possessing mystical or spiritual powers variously known in other places as shaman or kurdaitja man.

"If she was a clever person it makes sense to bury all her goods and chattels. The tools would have been valuable and reusable, so why bury them unless you're afraid of the powers they may possess long after the owner has left the mortal world."

Clever People, Extract from Suggit, 2008 "Throughout Australian Indigenous societies, Indigenous healers have played significant roles in the religious, judicial and therapeutic foundations of community life. These healers are often described in Aboriginal English as clever, that is, they are known as clever men and women within their own community and broader regions throughout Indigenous Australia. The word clever resonates with both a respect for the healer’s extensive therapeutic knowledge and skill, as well as a degree of fear for their presumed mystical, supernatural and spiritual capabilities."

Warrior and Queen

Jenny LeComte, Journalist who broke the story with the local Cooma-Monaro Times outlines her theory:

"They also found some very interesting artefacts that had been buried alongside the two bodies, including a fabulous kangaroo tooth necklace.

As it transpired, the remains were of an Aboriginal warrior and his queen. Both were very, very high-ranking in their local tribe - the closest you can get to royalty in ancient Aboriginal culture."

High Status Individuals

Sue Feary, archaeologist at the site explains:

"The existence of grave goods with the skeletal remains is interpreted as evidence for a ritual burial of one or both individuals who had enjoyed special status within the community, possibly because of their magic powers. The Bunyan burial is remarkable for the diverse and unusual nature of the grave goods."

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