Tracing Identity in a Fragmented Past: Multi‐Proxy Analysis of Human Skeletal Remains From Dungowan Creek, New South Wales, Australia

ABSTRACT Human skeletal remains constitute critical archaeological evidence for reconstructing past societies, yet their investigation requires careful ethical, cultural, and legislative consideration. This paper reports on the discovery, recovery and analysis of a set of skeletal remains encountered during a cultural heritage management (CHM) investigation at Dungowan Creek, near Tamworth, NSW. Although initial evidence suggested the individual was a late 19th‐century colonist, the poor and fragmentary condition of the remains along with the prevalence of frontier violence in the region could not exclude the possibility that they were Indigenous. As a result, extensive co‐design with Gomeroi traditional owners was undertaken and maintained throughout recovery, analysis and reinterment. The remains were subject to multiple proxies to determine ancestry, including skeletal and isotopic analysis, investigation of recovered colonial artefacts and documentary evidence. Results suggest the remains are most likely those of John Wilson, an Englishman, who died at the creek in 1893. Of 37 individuals identified as either transported or emigrated to Australia aligning with the documentary record of Wilson, strontium isotope ratios refine this to three probable working‐class individuals from either Dumfries or Ayrshire (western Scotland) who arrived in Australia in the late 1830s. Details of his life after arrival remain unclear; however, isotopic analysis indicates he spent at least a decade in the local area prior to death, aligning with documentary references to Wilson in the Tamworth region. Despite confirming the individual as non‐Indigenous, the Gomeroi traditional owners continued to be involved in the management of the remains. This shared collaboration contributes to broader processes of reconciliation and truth‐telling, and demonstrates how archaeological, historical and Indigenous knowledge can be integrated to navigate the complex legacies of colonialism. Our findings also demonstrate the value of multidisciplinary and archaeometric approaches in CHM and industry contexts.