WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following article contains images and mention of de ceased persons.

Descriptions or words used to describe the First Nations People are wording directly taken from the article, and is the wording or belief of those times.

This Blast from the Past was originally an article from January 8, 1963 edition of The Riverine Grazier, titled , ‘Exploring Aboriginal habits in the area’.

The intensification of investigating into the habits of early Indigenous people in Southern New South Wales has led to expeditions into the outback by experts in this field of re search.

Last Thursday we had the opportunity of ac companying these expert research workers into the country north of Booligal, where an old Indigenous camp site and burial ground was explored.

The party consisted of Professor N.W.G. Macintosh of the Sydney University, Mr Jack Golson M.A. of the Australian National University, an archaeologist, and who is studying Southern N.S.W., Mr Gordon Williams of Sydney University and several members of the Hay Historical Society.

Arriving at Booligal, the party was met by Mr Bill Barnett who has intimate knowledge of the lands that lie to the north of Booligal and who had found several traces of Indigenous skeletons on Yarto Station.

He led the expedition up the rough Cobb Highway leading to Ivanhoe, and then turned off at Yarto to lead the party over trackless paddocks to the point where he has found the skeletons.

The spot was easily found as it had been wisely marked with an iron post and marker.

The particular spot was a red soil ridge which ran for miles through the country and which was bordered by heavy black soil on each side. There was an abundance of pine trees and the general appearance was of a prior stream at some time or another.

It was easy to understand why the site was chosen for a camp site as there was evidence of a recent heavy rain in the expanses of water that had fallen on the good catchment of the red ridge, and which was being held in good sized natural dams.

After making our way onto an island, Mr Barnett pointed out his find, protruding above the ground, the remains of a human skull which had fortunately been broken either by stock walking on it or by natural elements.

Whilst the experts quickly but carefully dug the earth from around the skull, with a small trowel, other members of the party scouted the region for foreign stones rock and other evidence of Indigenous inhabitancy, which could give a lead to the pattern of Indigenous life and mi gratory habits.

Mr Barnett and Mrs Isobel Booth, a very in terested member of the party who has accompanied Mr Barnett on his exploration of Indigenous haunts, successfully searched for another skeleton which had been previously seen in the area. This was found with the skull, and toe bones both above the ground, but in a fragmentary state which prevented them being disturbed and investigated.

From observations of the bones showing above the claypan, Professor Mcintosh was able to express an opinion that the bones were that of a child between the age of seven and nine, the body was buried in a crouched position with the knees drawn up in front of the body.

The body was laying on its side.

The head was facing north and the line of the body ran almost due east and west.

It may only be a coincidence that upon un earthing much of the skeleton it was also found to be lying on its right side with the body running east and west of the grave.

In the case of the un earthed skeleton the legs were bent backwards.

The professor said this was the remains of a male Indigenous person aged approximately 35 years at the time of death.

Both graves seem to have been no larger than four feet by four feet, and of an unknown depth.

The graves appeared to have been deep enough for the bodies to be covered by about four inches of earth.

Lying about four feet from one skeleton were the remains of the skeleton of a dingo.

These bones were gathered by the professor for further investigation in Sydney.

There could be some significance in these bones as the Indigenous were known to have tamed dingoes for domestic pets.

Professor Macintosh was particularly interested in the dingo bones as he is carrying out ex tensive work into the dingo and he will compare the bones he found with the skeleton of a modern dingo to see if they have changed in any way over the years.

The professor also took parts of the unearthed Indigenous person’s skull.

While it will be impossible to ascertain the time the bones were buried, the shape and form of the bones enable researchers to tie their various findings into a complete picture.

The skull, incidentally, showed abnormal markings which would suggest the person could have suffered a severe blow from which he possibly died.

An explanation of the sandy ridge revealed much evidence of early Indigenous life.

On the eastern side of the hill there were many mounds of hard brick-like substance.

Together with all the small pieces of rock and other foreign stone it would suggest the hill was once a thriving Indigenous settlement.

The importance of the rock findings are in the study of the movement of various tribes who carried large pieces of rock from which they fashioned their tools and weapons.

The variety of rock would give a lead to the areas visited by that tribe.

On the west of the hill was the burial ground where the skeletons were discovered, professor Macintosh and Mr Golson agreed there could be up to 50 skeletons buried in the vicinity.

Professor Macintosh explained the Indigenous people immediately wrapped the body of a de ceased person in bark upon death.

After man hours of chanting and painting the bodies, the men would eventually carry the dead body several hundred yards to the burial site.

Whilst the women wailed and cried louder and louder as the burial party got further away.

The idea was they were to be just audible when the party reached the grave.

To show their grief the women would strike themselves on the brow to draw blood.

The party would then return to camp and the burial ground was avoided for six weeks or so to avoid the spirits.

After farewelling Mr Peter Rodgers, the owner of Yarto, we made our way back to Booligal.