This paper discusses the Australian boab tree and its potential for research as living historical archaeology. Boab trees play an important role in the economy, culture, and cosmology of Indigenous people in northwest Australia and continue to hold a powerful presence in the Kimberley region today. Working with Nyikina and Mangala Traditional Owners we have undertaken to document examples of this iconic tree and its cultural and historical associations, particularly in the form of carvings and inscriptions embedded in the bark. Focusing on four individual trees located in the Kimberley region of northwest Australia, we propose that the modification of boab trees, as a practice undertaken by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, offers important insights into the everyday lives and historic events that shaped this cultural landscape.

本文讨论了澳大利亚猴面包树及其作为活历史考古学的研究潜力。猴面包树在澳大利亚西北部土著人民的经济、文化和宇宙观中发挥着重要作用，并且在今天的金伯利地区继续占有重要地位。我们与 Nyikina 和 Mangala 传统所有者合作，着手记录这棵标志性树木的例子及其文化和历史关联，特别是在树皮上嵌入雕刻和铭文的形式。我们着眼于位于澳大利亚西北部金伯利地区的四棵树，提出改造猴面包树作为土著和非土著人民共同进行的一项实践，为了解塑造这种文化的日常生活和历史事件提供了重要见解景观。