Authenticity for the digitisation of Australian First Nations archaeology : case studies from Maiawali Country and Gunbalanya

At its core, this thesis pursues an understanding of how authenticity and Walter Benjamin's experiential addition to authenticity, the aura, can be reproduced in digitised cultural heritage. The backdrop to this is an archaeological practice that is shifting towards ever greater integration of digital methods as tools of collection, analysis and dissemination. This digital shift largely postdated the intense theoretical debates of the 20th century and consequently remains poorly contextualised within the breadth of archaeological theory, with the rapid evolution of technology only making attempts at contextualisation more difficult. Considerable efforts have been made to mature the methods and discourse of digital archaeology, particularly in Europe, but these efforts, as with many others, reflect the archaeological and contemporary social context of their origin. In applying these overseas developments to Australian Archaeology, particularly the archaeology and cultural heritage of Indigenous Australians, there was a clear need for a locally appropriate adaptation. Consequently, the literature review of this thesis examines the ontological fluctuations in archaeology, cultural heritage standards and broader society to understand how authenticity has changed accordingly, as well as describing its contemporary pluralistic existence. This includes the review of the human-machine interface, digital archaeology projects, cultural heritage best practice and legislation alongside the possibilities of emerging technologies like generative artificial intelligence to ensure a holistic understanding of authenticity at the intersection of cultural heritage and digital technologies. Two case studies were undertaken to understand how the lessons learnt in the literature could be applied practically to Indigenous Australian cultural heritage settings. The case studies leveraged game development tools and novel hardware to produce media that reflects both the archaeological and cultural context of Australia's unique heritage. The flexibility of this approach allowed the varied digital data formats produced through digital archaeological practice, to occupy the same space, providing a more wholistic and engaging experience than what is typically available through specialist software. The methodology applied in this thesis incorporated CARE (Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility and Ethics) practices alongside other examples of best practice to ensure that the Indigenous Knowledge, archaeological and cultural data was maintained and used with the informed consent of Traditional Owners and in a way which incorporated their interests and desires. [...]

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