Boundary Trees

[Jeannette Hope]

Aboriginal boundary or ring trees are commonly mentioned in popular / public sources.  Here is an example  from a draft text for a council interpretative sign, which I’ve been asked to comment on / edit.  (I don’t know where this came from, the draft text seems to be mainly cut-and-paste from various sources. )

 

“Boundary/Marker trees - these trees are a remarkable living example of Aboriginal expertise. It is thought two branches were grafted together to create a circle, perhaps marking a boundary or providing a place for an offering.”

 

Here are some more examples:

 

1. From the Lake Karrinyup Country Club (Perth) website.  (http://www.lkcc.com.au/cms/about-lkcc/the-trees-of-lake-karrinyup/wap/river-red-gum/ )

 

“The Aborigines used to weave together the branches of the young trees in order to mark places of significance. As the trees grew, the branches then fused together to form rings. So-called “ring” trees are often found on waterways and were significant cultural markers for Aboriginal communities. Some served as boundaries between lands. Others were markers for places of abundance.”

 

2. From the website Travelmate,  http://maps.travelmate.com.au/Places/Places.asp?TownId=96.

“The region also boasts a fine example of Aboriginal technology - a ring tree whose branches were tied together many years ago to form a circle. The Aborigines used the ring tree technique to mark a tribal boundary. A sign points to the location of the local ring tree about halfway along the road linking Balranald and Koraleigh.”

 

3. From a travel blog: https://www.travelblog.org/Photos/3953671.

 

4. Using ring trees and others to ‘map songlines in your municipality’ - http://www.jimpoulter.com/article13.php.

 

The Victorian (2003) and NSW (2005) Field manual on Aboriginal Scarred Trees (both written by Andrew Long) do not mention them.    I can’t recall any mention  before the late 1990s – now they seem to be a part of the common perception of Aboriginal heritage.  

 

Does anyone know when ring / boundary trees started to be mentioned and whether any research has been done on them (ie are identified ring trees all old, or are some young?)  I’ve tried searching trove newspapers, with no high expectations, but came up against the problem of ring-barked trees and surveyors’ boundary trees.   ‘Ring tree’ is used in a couple of place or locality names, presumably referring to a standing ringbarked tree.

 

(For some entertainment, go to http://www.artfido.com/blog/the-amazing-art-of-tree-shaping/ )

 

 

Regards

 

Jeannette Hope

 

 

[Gary Vines]

I am pretty sure the concept is a modern invention - most of the examples I have seen would have to be naturally occurring, unusual shaped trees with fused limbs. the practicalities of pulling two branches together at some height of f the ground and holding them there long enough for them to grow together suggest it could not have been done intentionally, although unusually shaped trees might have been used as markers or special places.

I have not come across any ethnographic material suggesting high branches were intentionally pulled together to form such trees.

Native American's modified trees to create trail markers - but this was done low to the ground and often involved cutting a sapling, part way through and staking it down to make it form a dog-leg.

The ring tree idea probably stems from a western tradition of "tree shaping"

g

[Michael Clarke]

They were certainly produced intentionally and were used by Aborigines as territory boundary markers; in the south west of NSW (and maybe elsewhere) they were referred to as 'Star Trees'. The trees and their purpose were described by an Aboriginal elder to the NSW Heritage Council during its visit to Wentworth and the surrounding area (including Warrakoo Station) in September 2008 .

Attached are some images of a star tree I photographed  at Warrakoo at the time. As you can see, the significance of the tree had been casually marked by stones placed around the base.

Michael Clarke

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[Gary Vines]

There is of course a question of evidence - the ones I have seen depicted are generally large old trees, where, if intentionally modified, the modification must have happened a hundred years ago or more. What is the likelihood that any person today would have direct or transmitted knowledge of a specific tree having purposely been modified? Verifiable evidence standards would require that the line of transmission can be demonstrated, or that corroborative historical or ethnographic information can be found, or more recent practice can be documented. As the process of branch fusion happens naturally, any modern assertion that a particular tree is the result of intentional modification, based only on its appearance, has the be tested with other evidence, in the same way as we need to be careful about attributing aboriginal human agency to things like fire-tempered flaking stone, clay heat retainers, ambiguous stone arrangements, uncertain bark removal scars, etc.

Here is an example at Toolybuc   a tree that is hundreds of years old with the fused branches nearly half a metre diameter. Yes it could have been used as a marker, or have other symbolic value by Aborigines, but there is no continuing knowledge recorded to this effect.

I don't dispute that the practice was not carried out, culturally modified trees are well documented and studied around the world with plenty of similar examples to the 'ring tree' concept to demonstrate that is is entirely reasonable that Aboriginal people may have undertaken this practice. However, I have not seen any serious discussion of the evidence in Australia. Does anyone know of archaeological, historical or ethnographic research in this area (apart from scar trees)? We have an obligation not to misinterpret natural phenomena, thereby attributing unsubstantiated past cultural behaviour.

g

[Gary Vines]

image didn't work - try this 

[Jeannette Hope]

Thank you everyone for the interesting feedback.

 

I’ve been sent a copy of the Lyndhurst report, which recorded three ‘hoop’ trees, and has an extensive analysis of possible natural v. cultural origins of the phenomenon.  The report concluded that ‘at the time of writing this report (1995) the Wurundjeri were divided over the cultural significance of the hoop trees.’

 

Thanks Michael for reminding me about Warrakoo (I organised that trip for the Heritage Council!) .  Warrakoo, just west of Lake Victoria, is owned by the MDAS (Mildura & District Aboriginal Services, previously MAC) and run as a rehabilitation centre.   I can’t remember exactly who the Aboriginal people we met there were, but unlikely to be traditionally connected with that country.  Descendants of the people who were here when Europeans arrived moved downstream into SA, historically associated people moved here from the Darling River in the late 19C-early20C.  I think many of the current staff are from Victoria.

 

A key question is, if these are boundary marker trees, exactly what boundaries were they marking?   Tribal boundaries? Clan boundaries?  In the Lake Victoria area, that is, along the Murray between The Darling and Chowilla (just in SA) we actually have an historic record of probable clan boundaries, the locations where the first overlanders in 1838 were introduced by ‘ambassadors’ (the word used)  as they passed from one tribal area to the next.  This fits with a separate record of three clan areas along here (boundaries unspecified).  However, the 1838 boundaries are not near Warrakoo.     

 

So far, Victoria seems the likely origin for recent interpretations of these trees.   (But what are we to make of the mention on the Perth golf club website?)   Does anyone know of any mentions/records from other states?   Is this limited to red gums?  (note the Perth example is on a red gum).  If so, there should be examples in SA (and Tindale should have noticed!)

 

Is this a natural characteristic of red gums?   Are there any post-European red gums with connected limbs? Actually this could be tested.  There are many age cohort stands of red gums whose germination date is known or can be estimated:. Major germination events occurred after big floods: 1870, 1890, 1931, 1956., and also after  river regulation, around newly created weir pools and around the post regulation shore of Lake Victoria.

 

Keep the comments rolling in… I might do something serious with the subject!

 

Regards

 

Jeannette

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[Ben Watson]

Hi Jeannette,

I posted a request for information about ring trees on OzArch a couple of years ago -- you might want to have a look in the archives for the responses, though they were fairly limited.

 

There’s a bit of information out there if you look hard enough, but not much ethnographic data, and there's a definite need for further research. 

The following references are of interest:

 

Barker, M., Bell, J., Rhodes, D., Ricardi, P. and M. Veres 2009. Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Management Plan: The Living Murray Water Management Structures and Associated Works on Mulcra Island. CHMP No: 10198. Unpublished report prepared for the Mallee CMA by Heritage Insight Pty Ltd.

 

Cusack, J. 2000. Nyah State Forest: an Aboriginal heritage assessment of three proposed forestry coupes. Unpublished report, Andrew Long & Associates, Melbourne.

 

De Blas, A. 2009. Engaging visions of change. Ecos Magazine 148:28–29.

 

Lawrence, K. 2009. Listening when others ‘talk back’. Craft + Design Enquiry 1:75–99.

 

Porter, E. 2006. Rights or containment? The politics of Aboriginal cultural heritage in Victoria. Australian Geographer 37(3):355-374.

 

I have seen some good examples along the Murray, and Traditional Owners have brought my attention to several others in various parts of Victoria, e.g. at Lake Bonney, Lynbrook, Werribee, Wollert. There are several listed on the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Register – see e.g. 7129-0342, 7323-0254, 7822-2317, 8025-0286, but they are generally not registered without associated oral history or demonstrated continual use of a site.

 

According to arboriculturalists I’ve spoken to such as Matthew Brookhouse at ANU, it is very rare for insoculation of limbs to occur naturally, at least in red gums, as the conditions have to be just right, i.e. the cambium has to be exposed through friction and the limbs then kept still for long enough for the graft to hold. This and other factors such as spatial association with other sites such as burials or other culturally modified trees, provides some support for their human origin, especially when more than one occurs in the same location. They do of course occur naturally, but it should also be kept in mind that this does not necessarily mean they did not have significance for Aboriginal people or do not continue to do so.

Ben

[Gary Vines]

In terms of historical period fused limbs on Red gums, the big tree at Guildford has fused branches in the crown about 20 metres off the ground - unlikely to be done by Aborigines, and the branches are quite small diameter. 

I have seen fused branches on trees along the Yan Yean Pipe Track (1858) where there appears to have been a big germination event shortly after it was built

These examples on the Murray are old, and are purported to show a 'Barri' ground (fertile area able to sustain large groups of people meeting to conduct trade and ceremony) is nearby. and there is one in the Swan hill Museum.

This one near Rutherglen has been photographed numerous times.

This old red gum has so many criss-crossing branches that it would seem inevitable that some would fuse.

One of the givaways is that many of these trees have branches touching that are quite thick -20-50cm diam-, with only the outer part of the branches fused together. That is, they were already thick branches before they touched and fused. If thin saplings that were bendable were pulled together and tied, then the intersection would be through the centres of the branch. that is they wouldn't appear to be touching, but to be passing through each other. 

Did someone mention Andrew Long's scar tree manual - no mention of ring, hoop, star or birthing trees

g

[Luke Kirkwood]

Thought I recognised that tree. The one you linked Gary is adjacent to an old lunette lake system outside of Tooleybuc with a number of documented sites. The tree itself is located in amongst a disturbed surface expression of lithics and shell. Local oral tradition (both Aboriginal and the wider community) is that these were made by Aboriginal people. In fact, the third example which Jeanette provided in her first post is the famous ring tree (signposted for tourists) just outside of Tooleybuc as well. The tree is not well known outside of the Tooleybuc/Mildura region. River Reds are apparently known for their ability to inosculate naturally (web page references only), this could have also been observed by Aboriginal people who then decided to take advantage of the natural phenomena.

Questions to follow up would be:

1) What is the distribution of these trees? Is there spatial patterning?

2) Are trees associated with other archaeological evidence?

3) Is this an exclusive River Red Gum phenomena?

4) Age of tree/Age of inosculation event

5) Early literature evidence

Might be worth asking a pleaching expert/aborist as well on their experience with Australian trees

http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/133629/20120518-1552/monumentaustralia.org.au/monument_display0248.html

[Gary Vines]

Here is a fused branch tree noted at Heide near the Yarra river. It is almost certain that this tree germinated during the 1934 Floods, so you can see how substantial a fused section can get in a short time - it is certainly natural. Therefore I would argue that it is impossible to determine that a branch fusion is not natural on any tree - and would therefore have to have corroborating ethnographic, historical or anthropological evidence for the specific tree to make a call.

gary

[Jeannette Hope]

Thanks Gary.

 

I’ve been meaning to post an update, including photos that someone went to Hay to take for me!   Delayed because I’ve been ill, next week maybe…

 

Jeannette

 

 

 

From: oza...@googlegroups.com [mailto:oza...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Gary Vines
Sent: Monday, 16 November 2015 11:20 AM
To: OzArch
Subject: {OzArch} Re: Boundary Trees

 

Here is a fused branch tree noted at Heide near the Yarra river. It is almost certain that this tree germinated during the 1934 Floods, so you can see how substantial a fused section can get in a short time - it is certainly natural. Therefore I would argue that it is impossible to determine that a branch fusion is not natural on any tree - and would therefore have to have corroborating ethnographic, historical or anthropological evidence for the specific tree to make a call.

 

gary

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