Born: 1933, Australia
Died: NA
Country most active: Australia
Also known as: Betty Hiatt
This biography has been shared from The Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, published by the Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology, under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Betty Meehan is an anthropologist whose research includes ethnohistoric and archaeological information. Her work on Tasmanian Aboriginal people focussed on their diet and economy, and her studies of their burial practices was the subject of her highly-regarded Masters thesis (1971). In the Northern Territory her research was on subsistence regimes in Arnhem Land communities, particularly role of shellfish. Her field work was done with collaboration from her husband Rhys Jones and the Anbarra people. The resultant book, Shell bed to shell midden (1982) made her internationally famous. Later areas of study included the Upper Daly River in the Northern Territory.
Chronology
1975
Education – Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Australian National University
1977 – 1985
Career position – Research Fellow, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University
1984
Career position – President, Australian Archaeological Association
1985 – 1990
Career position – Anthropologist, Division of Anthropology, Australian Museum
1987 –
Award – Fellow, Australian Academy of the Humanities (FAHA)
1987 – 1994
Career position – Editor, Australian Archaeology
1990
Award – Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) – for service to education, particularly in the field of Australian prehistory
1991
Career position – Head, Aboriginal Section, Collections Management Division, National Museum of Australia
1991 – 1995
Career position – Director, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Section, Australian Heritage Commission
1995 – 1996
Career position – Honorary Associate, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
2001 –
Award – Life Member, Australian Archaeological Association
2001
Award – Centenary Medal – for service to cultural heritage and as a distinguished archaeologist
2002 –
Award – Life Member, Australian Archaeological Association