Archaeological investigations in Kinchega National Park have identified a dingo burial dating to approximately one thousand years ago, revealing a sophisticated level of interspecies bonding between the animal and the Barkindji people.

在 Kinchega 國家公園進行的考古調查發現了一處約一千年前的澳洲野犬埋葬地，揭示了該動物與 Barkindji 族人之間深層的跨物種情感紐帶。

The site, situated along the Baaka (Darling River), consists of a male dingo skeleton interred within a river mussel shell midden. Radiocarbon dating places the initial burial between 916 and 963 years ago. A significant finding is the evidence of a multi-generational 'feeding' ritual, wherein shells were added to the mound for approximately five centuries following the animal's death. This practice, which Barkindji custodians characterize as a method of maintaining ancestral connection, represents a previously undocumented archaeological phenomenon globally.

該遺址位於 Baaka（達令河）沿岸，由一具埋在河蚌殼堆中的雄性澳洲野犬骨架組成。放射性碳定年法顯示，最初的埋葬時間在 916 至 963 年前。一項重大發現是存在跨世代的「餵食」儀式證據，即在該動物死亡後的約五個世紀中，有人不斷在土丘上添加貝殼。Barkindji 守護者將此做法描述為維持祖先聯繫的一種方式，這代表了全球考古學中此前未有記錄的現象。

Osteological analysis indicates the specimen was an elderly male, estimated to be between four and seven years of age. The presence of dental attrition and suspected arthritis suggests advanced age, while the femur length indicates a stature shorter than that of contemporary wild dingoes, potentially signaling a degree of domestication. Furthermore, the skeleton exhibited healed fractures in a rib and a lower leg—injuries consistent with kangaroo predation—suggesting the animal received sustained care and nursing from human companions.

骨骼分析顯示，該樣本為一隻年長的雄性，估計年齡在四至七歲之間。牙齒磨損以及疑似關節炎的跡象顯示其年事已高，而股骨長度則顯示其體型比現代野生澳洲野犬矮小，可能暗示具有一定程度的馴化。此外，骨架的肋骨與小腿處有癒合的骨折——這些傷勢與袋鼠捕食的特徵相符——顯示該動物曾接受人類同伴的持續照顧與護理。

This discovery extends the known geographical distribution of dingo burial practices further north and west than previously recorded. While dingoes are genetically identified as arrivals from New Guinea between 3,500 and 5,000 years ago, this site confirms their integration into the kinship structures of First Nations peoples. The collaboration between the Australian Museum, the University of Sydney, and Barkindji elders ensured that the excavation was preceded by spiritual cleansing and concluded with the repatriation of the remains to ancestral lands.

此項發現將已知澳洲野犬埋葬習俗的地理分佈，向北及向西延伸至比先前記錄更遠的區域。儘管基因鑑定顯示澳洲野犬是在 3,500 至 5,000 年前從新幾內亞遷入，但此遺址證實了牠們已融入原住民族的親屬結構。澳洲博物館、悉尼大學與 Barkindji 長老的合作，確保了挖掘工作在開始前進行靈魂淨化，並在結束後將遺骸送回祖先之地。

The excavation confirms a profound, long-term symbiotic relationship between the Barkindji people and dingoes, though the species has since faced regional extinction in the area.

此次挖掘證實了 Barkindji 族人與澳洲野犬之間存在深厚且長期的共生關係，儘管該物種隨後在該地區面臨區域性滅絕。