A Singular Osteobiography from Mithaka Country, Arid Australia

Michael C. Westaway1*, Joshua Gorringe2 and Shawnee Gorringe1,2

Mithaka Country, located in the southwest of Queensland at the edge of Australia’s arid core, provides a unique context for examining Aboriginal settlement systems. This study focuses on an individual burial and integrates histological analysis, proteomics, and strontium isotope data to investigate patterns of lifestyle and mobility. The results provide direct evidence that the ancestors of the Mithaka people were not highly mobile, contrasting with long-standing assumptions of widespread nomadism in arid Australia. These findings align with archaeological and ethnohistorical evidence indicating the presence of village-based settlement systems in the region. By incorporating bioarchaeological techniques alongside Indigenous knowledge and perspectives, this research contributes to a revised understanding of Aboriginal lifeways and highlights the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in Australian archaeology.