Peterson's Map

In a 1976 review of evidence about Indigenous cultural variation, anthropologist Nic Peterson discerned 17 'culture areas'. He argued that the boundaries between these cultures were related to, though not necessarily determined by, barriers in the natural environment. That is, they coincided with watersheds between drainage basins. He thus mapped 17 'culture areas' on to the 12 'drainage divisions (groupings of basins)' recognised by geographers of Australia.

Keywords: anthropology, cultural preservation, culture, custom, land boundaries, tribes, 1976

'The natural and cultural areas of Aboriginal Australia.Tribes and boundaries in Australia', N. Peterson, Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, 1976.
Author: Rowse, Tim and Graham, Trevor