For Indigenous Australians, carvings in boab trees are just as important as rock art. There is currently a race against time to capture the ancient artwork found in the boabs’ bark before these magnificent heritage trees perish.

To document ancient art under the bark of Australia’s boab trees, researchers are collaborating with a group of First Nations Australians in a race against time and some of the world’s most difficult terrain.

Carvings in boab trees describe the story of the King Brown Snake (or Lingka) Dreaming in a remote area of Western Australia’s Tanami desert, which straddles the border with the Northern Territory.

After more than two years of fieldwork, researchers from The Australian National University (ANU), The University of Western Australia, and The University of Canberra discovered 12 trees with carvings in collaboration with five Traditional Owners.

Many of the carved trees are hundreds of years old, according to Professor Sue O’Connor of the ANU School of Culture, History, and Language, and there is a sense of urgency to produce high-quality recordings before these unique heritage trees die.

“Unlike most Australian trees,” explained Professor O’Connor, “the inner wood of boabs is soft and fibrous and when the trees dies, they just collapse.”

“Sadly, after lasting centuries if not millennia, this incredible artwork, which is equally as significant as the rock art Indigenous Australians are famous for, is now in danger of being lost.”

Brenda Garstone, a traditional owner, believes it is critical that Indigenous knowledge and tales are preserved and passed down through generations.

“We are in a race against time to document this invaluable cultural heritage,” she added.

Australia’s boab has never been dated, according to Professor O’Connor.

She explained that although it is frequently claimed that they can live up to 2,000 years, this is based on the ages discovered in some of the huge baobab trees in South Africa, which are of a distinct species. 

“We simply don’t know how old the Australian boabs are.

“It is vital we obtain some direct ages for these remarkable Australian trees, which help tell the story of First Nations Australians and are the source of a rich cultural heritage.

“There are hundreds more boabs visible on Google Earth, which we didn’t manage to get to on this trip. They remain to be checked for carvings on our next Tanami adventure.

“We hope that our research will bring the art in the bark of these remarkable trees to many more Australians so that they can be appreciated for generations to come.”

The findings were published in the journal Antiquity.

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