Documenting the Yinuma Songline
Congratulations to Stevie Skitmore (Australian National University PhD candidate) and the Anindilyakwa Land Council on their successful Rock Art Australia grant to bring Groote Eylandt’s songline stories to life.
The Groote Archipelago is recognised as a site of International Conservation Significance, and the Groote Archipelago Songlines Archaeology Project is working to document the Yinuma songline, a network of stories, song, and kinship connections linking the East Arnhem mainland, Groote Eylandt’s stone country, and Angurrkwurrikba Lake on the east coast.
Bringing together Anindilyakwa researchers, the Anindilyakwa Land Council, and archaeologists, the project combines community knowledge with archaeological methods to better understand how these stories are represented across the landscape, including in rock art.
For Traditional Owners, the focus is on strengthening the transmission of cultural knowledge across generations and reconnecting with places and histories impacted by past disruption, while also supporting land management and future economic opportunities. Initial stages have involved community mapping, recording stories, and undertaking pilot surveys that have already identified more than 130 rock art sites.
The next phase, supported by Rock Art Australia, will expand this work across the full songline route, using targeted surveys, small-scale excavations, and environmental analysis to build a clearer picture of how people lived, moved, and expressed cultural knowledge across this region, over time.
Join Us
Since the beginning, Rock Art Australia has been supported by a committed community of donors. Their support has enabled groundbreaking research, the establishment of fully endowed Research Chairs, and the sharing of knowledge through public programs, publications, and engagement with universities, schools, and communities across Australia.
Today, this collective effort continues to support leading and emerging researchers, advance the protection of globally significant heritage, and contribute to the knowledge and leadership that will carry this work forward.
