![]() The Aboriginal peoples of the present state of Victoria used grinding stones to crush roots, bulbs, tubers and berries, as well as insects, small mammals and reptiles before cooking them. ![]() The Australian grindstones usually comprise a large flat sandstone rock (for its abrasive qualities), used with a top stone, known as a "muller", "pounder", or pestle. One important use was for foods, in particular to grind seeds to make bread, but stones were also adapted for grinding specific types of starchy nuts, ochres for artwork, plant fibres for string, or plants for use in bush medicine, and are still used today. Different stones were adapted for grinding different things and varied according to location. Grinding stones or grindstones, as they were called, were used by the Aboriginal peoples across the continent and islands, and they were traded in areas where suitable sandstone was not available in abundance. We are custodians of Queensland’s natural and cultural heritage, caring for more than a million items and specimens in collections that tell the changing story of Queensland.The earliest evidence for stones used to grind food is found in northern Australia, at the Madjedbebe rock shelter in Arnhem Land, dating back around 60,000 years. At the Queensland Museum we have procedures in place to facilitate people visiting and reconnecting with their significant objects.Īs we have many archaeological artefacts uploaded to our Collections Online web pages, you can start exploring some of the grindstones from the collection here. Grindstones are still relevant to indigenous communities today, offering another connection to country and culture. Indeed the mortar and pestle remains a popular tool in plenty of modern kitchens. Grinding food, herbs and spices between two stones is still carried out today in many traditional communities. That is the earliest evidence in the world for grindstones. One grindstone recently discovered in the Madjedbebe rock shelter, in Mirrarr Country, in northern Arnhem Land traces grindstone technology back over 60 000 years ago. Some stones can even be traced to their origins before starting their life as a grindstone. Studies also shed light on the distribution of populations around Australia and how they traded and interacted. Researching them provides us with clues about the food sources that were exploited across different climatic periods. Grindstone technology dates back thousands of years in Australia. Smaller grinding stones were usually used in the production of pigments, crushing different colours of ochre to make a fine powder for the use in painting rock art, for painting on people’s bodies or on objects such as message sticks and shields. ![]() Grinding stones also processed plants for medicinal use. Processing methods included water leeching or washing, and grinding or crushing. Some foods contain toxins which must be released before consumption. Starch residue analysis on some of these Morahs provide evidence that the stones were used to process toxic starchy nuts. This grindstone is made of slate with several incised parallel grooves on its surface to create a processing platform for seeds and nuts. In the Museum we have some very specialised grinding stones such as the Morah grinding stone- only found in the Wet Tropics rainforests. Grindstone – Muller, rectangular-shaped stone with polishing on multiple sides. Some areas, including parts of Victoria, seem to have fewer grindstones. A grindstone trade network existed, and some of the recently located production areas are so large that they indicate an extensive and well-developed production for trade. Grindstones did wear out, and many areas lack suitable sandstone outcrops to create new ones. The largest grindstones often remained at certain location for extended periods. Grindstones were sometimes heavy (up to 14kg or more) so they were not always convenient to carry. They were mostly found where Aboriginal people lived and processed food. Some are deeply abraded, with surfaces often worn smooth from extended use. Grindstones can be identified by their shape and wear patterns. Essentially the main use of grindstones was for processing food. Sometimes the process was dry grinding and other times using water. This served to crack open seeds, break bones to extract the marrow, pound plant fibres to make string and grind ochre to create different pigment colours. There were many other uses which sometimes involved a smaller more rounded top stone called a pounder. This usually required a flatter top stone. An important role was grinding of seeds to make flour for bread. They form an efficient tool to grind or crush food to release nutrients. Grindstone, flat sedimentary rock with striations and polish on one side.Ī grindstone is usually a large flat sandstone rock (abrasive rock) that is used with a suitable top stone, or muller. ![]()
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