Rock Art Research

The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Canberra (AIATSIS), was involved in research into Indigenous Australian rock art almost from its inception in 1963/4. A major development in its support of various aspects of protection and research began in 1986. The national Rock Art Protection Program (RAPP) was initiated to provide for the protection of Indigenous Australian rock art. As a grants program administered by AIATSIS, it made its first grant allocations in December 1986. The formal RAPP continued for twelve years, disbursing up to $200 000 per annum, after which the Institute continued to provide for a similar range of projects during the next decade. As interpreted by the AIATSIS Council, its scope became wider than mere physical protection. It supported new research and applied projects in three main areas. As with other AIATSIS research programs, it required the involvement of Indigenous Australian knowledge holders and custodians of the cultural places involved, and successfully encouraged applications from, and collaborative projects with, Indigenous traditional owners. The Program can be seen as having made a significant contribution to the development of systematic studies of Indigenous Australian rock art and influencing research and practice in these fields elsewhere in the world. Here I provide a retrospective comment on procedures, results and problems.