Ancestors Buried Dingo with Ceremony in Australia

Why this is here: The team found the dingo was buried with layers of shells that accumulated over centuries, indicating generations of people tended the grave.

Archaeologists working with Barkindji elders in New South Wales, Australia, recently excavated a 1000-year-old dingo burial. Barkindji Elder Uncle Badger Bates first identified the bones eroding from a road cut in Kinchega National Park. The team found an elderly male dingo buried on his side within a mound of river mussel shells.

The dingo showed signs of both injury and care during his life, with healed broken bones and worn teeth. Layers of shells suggest Barkindji ancestors continued to add to the mound for centuries, effectively “feeding” the dingo after death. This burial is the farthest northwest of any known dingo burial site in Australia.

While this isn’t the first dingo burial discovered, the extended care shown at this site indicates a deeper relationship than previously understood. Researchers note they still want to know more about the specific rituals surrounding the burial and the full extent of dingoes’ role in Barkindji society. The work to understand this connection continues.