Thesis abstract: I Would Sooner Not Call Them Bradshaws

School of Archaeology, University of Sydney

The aim of this research was to test the hypothesis that the rock art known as the Bradshaws was the direct and discrete result of migration from outside Australia. A visual analysis and a statistical analysis of 2230 rock art images of people was conducted in order to identify any rock art that could be related to the Bradshaws. Sixty sites were sampled from an area surrounding the Indian Ocean. No overseas rock art was found to be similar to the Bradshaw figures. The visual analysis disclosed that many images from Arnhem Land rock art shared multiple likenesses to the Bradshaws, and the statistical analysis placed Arnhem Land as the Bradshaws' nearest neighbour. It was argued that this result was the most likely and feasible model and that there is insufficient evidence to support the contention that the Bradshaws were produced by a migration of people fiom overseas. There is no evidence in support of the argument that the Bradshaw figures are not part of Australian Aboriginal heritage.