A ’treasure’ map of Indigenous history in Australia

Ann McGrath with the cultural map. Credit: Jamie Kidston, ANU - A new project at The Australian National University (ANU) shifts from the Australian history told from our colonial beginnings to one told by Aboriginal people, with stories that connect their recent past to the ancient history of their traditional lands. Under the direction of the ANU Research Centre for Deep History, Professor Ann McGrath and mapping consultant Kim Mahood worked with Aboriginal Elders associated with the Lake Mungo region to record their family stories. "The Elders of the Mutthi Mutthi, Nyaampa and Barkintji spoke about how their families were forced to move from mission to mission," Professor McGrath says. "A lot of the children were stolen. They worked all over the sheep stations in the region. They often saw ancient footprints and things when they were working.