“Guns or barter” Indigenous exchange networks and the mediation of conflict in post-contact western Arnhem Land

Citation: Scott Mitchell (2000) “Guns or barter” Indigenous exchange networks and the mediation of conflict in post-contact western Arnhem Land. The Archaeology of Difference: negotiating cross-cultural engagements in Oceania. Pp182-214. (RSS)
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Summary

The author explores the relationship between the exchange of foreign trade goods and the resolution of conflict within indigenous societies in Arnhem Land in Northern Australia. Based on previous studies of trade goods, he states that the introduction of foreign materials into indigenous exchange networks was associated with significant social and political change. He argues that the incorporation of imported materials within regional networks during the 19th century relates to the need to mediate increasing competition and conflict within society. He assumes that if the exchange networks altered after cultural contact, then the diversity and quantity of stone transported into the area would have increased. Then he compares the stone artifact assemblages from pre-contact and post-contact middens. The result reveals that there are no major differences in the frequency of local stone artifact, but there are major differences in the range and frequency of non-local stone artefacts, which is consistent with the model that regional exchange accelerated as a result of contact with non-indigenous groups.