Ochre is a complex geological material that has several profound cultural uses and meanings worldwide. Despite its importance, there is limited understanding of its fundamental mineralogy, technology, and cultural exchange. Mixtures and applications of pigments present a challenging analytical problem, especially in the context of the need for elemental analysis of mixed pigments on objects in a variety of contexts. This presentation will describe our recent research into methods to characterize the complexity and diversity of Indigenous Australian ochre pigments. We describe the establishment of an extensive database of ochre from identified sources and archaeological contexts across Australia. Through the use of elemental characterization by k0-neutron activation analysis (k0-NAA), we have demonstrated the capability to identify the chemical “fingerprint” of Australian ochre minerals, including those present in Aboriginal Australian archeological sites. This study complements our recent work using X-ray fluorescence microscopy in developing a toolkit for characterizing ochre and to provide insights into the complex mineralogy and elemental composition of these natural materials. Our results demonstrate the advantages of using sensitive methods in the analysis of ochre pigments and Australian Aboriginal objects. This presentation will describe the analysis of an extensive NAA data set and understanding archaeological exchange and subsequent cultural interpretation. This study contributes to a more complete understanding not only of Australian ochre but also of Indigenous pigments worldwide.

Characterization of indigenous Australian ochre by k0-Neutron Activation Analysis (k0-NAA) for understanding cultural exchange

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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