Isotopic analyses of human remains have the potential to alter our understanding of prehistoric lifeways and migration in Australia, but very few such analyses have been conducted in the country to date. Here, we report the first regional multiproxy isotope study of pre-contact human remains from Australia. We obtained δ¹³C_collagen, δ¹⁵N_collagen, δ¹⁸O_bioapatite, δ¹³C_bioapatite and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope values from three complex interments and two simple beach burials from the Flinders Group of Islands, Queensland. The study had two goals. One was to assess how the diets of the individuals compared to those of pre-contact populations elsewhere in the region. The other goal was to test the hypothesis that burial type was indicative of local/non-local status. We found that the individuals’ diets were diverse and included a relatively high percentage of low trophic level foods. With regard to the difference in burial practices, we found those afforded complex burials had grown up in the Flinders Group, while those given beach burials likely grew up away from the islands. These results highlight the intricacies of the lives of the Indigenous Australians who inhabited the islands and inform our understanding of their pre-contact diet and mobility. The results also suggest that multiproxy isotope studies may be able to aid with the repatriation of unprovenanced remains of Indigenous Australians.

人类遗骸的同位素分析有可能改变我们对澳大利亚史前生活方式和移民的理解，但迄今为止，该国很少进行此类分析。在这里，我们报告了对澳大利亚接触前人类遗骸的第一次区域多代理同位素研究。我们获得了 δ ¹³ C_胶原、δ ¹⁵ N_胶原、 δ ¹⁸ O_{生物磷灰石}、δ ¹³ C_{生物磷灰石}和⁸⁷ Sr/ ⁸⁶来自昆士兰弗林德斯群岛的三个复杂墓葬和两个简单​​海滩墓葬的 Sr 同位素值。该研究有两个目标。一种是评估个体的饮食与该地区其他地方接触前人群的饮食相比如何。另一个目标是检验墓葬类型指示本地/非本地状态的假设。我们发现个体的饮食多种多样，包括相对较高比例的低营养级食物。关于埋葬习俗的差异，我们发现那些提供复杂葬礼的人在弗林德斯集团长大，而那些提供海滩葬礼的人可能远离岛屿长大。这些结果突出了居住在岛屿上的澳大利亚原住民生活的复杂性，并让我们了解他们接触前的饮食和流动性。结果还表明，多代理同位素研究可能有助于遣返澳大利亚原住民未经证实的遗骸。