By Deborah Moseley
Part 1.
SCRGI celebrates our role as allies of the First Peoples of Australia. There is much we can do to raise awareness of the Human Rights of people who have suffered under colonialism. The action that I am passionate about is raising awareness of Australia’s lack of protection for sacred sites.
As a member of SCRGI I want to share what I know so we can walk together.
Cultural Heritage: More Than Just Land
Cultural heritage is more than just a collection of physical objects in a museum. It is the living memory of Country, passed down through generations of First Nations peoples. It encompasses both tangible and intangible elements. Tangible cultural heritage includes visible artifacts, such as modified trees, rock carvings, or middens — remnants of thousands of years of connection to land and place. But intangible cultural heritage is equally significant. It exists in the ceremonies, the stories, the rituals, and the deep connections that communities maintain with their country, ancestors, and each other.
When we talk about cultural heritage, we are talking about the relationship between people and the land — a bond that goes beyond the physical and into the spiritual, intellectual, and emotional. It is a living, evolving force that sustains not only the people but also the land itself.
The Destruction of Cultural Heritage: A Perpetual Struggle
For many years, the destruction of cultural heritage has been treated as collateral damage in the pursuit of profit. Extractive industries, driven by economic interests, have obliterated sacred sites, cleared land, and altered landscapes with little regard for the historical and spiritual significance of the places they are disrupting. The destruction of Juukan Gorge was not an isolated incident, but part of a much larger pattern that continues today.
Part 2
Protecting Cultural Heritage: A Call to Action for the Sunshine Coast Community
By Deborah Moseley
In 2020, the world was shocked when Rio Tinto, one of the largest mining corporations in the world, destroyed the sacred caves of Juukan Gorge in Western Australia. For many Australians, it was a wake-up call about the vulnerability of cultural heritage sites that have held profound meaning for First Nations communities for tens of thousands of years.
Before this tragedy, many Australians were unaware of the significance of places like Juukan Gorge — places that are not just historical landmarks, but living testaments to the deep spiritual and cultural connection between the land and the people. It was not until the destruction of Juukan Gorge that we began to collectively ask: what else have we been overlooking?
The activities of large mining companies are widely shared within business structures. Mining leases cover tens of thousands of acres of land. The Puutu Kunti Kurrama Pinikura (PKKP) people learned of the destruction of the Juukon Gorge event because many people spoke of Rio Tinto’s work. The PKKP sent protests that reached around the world.
In urbanised communities, with many small private holdings, Native Title Holders have no mechanism to know if cultural heritage sites were being destroyed. Most landholders fail to recognise cultural heritage if they saw it.
Here, on the Sunshine Coast, cultural heritage sites are at risk. Developers, blind to the rich layers of history beneath their bulldozers, push forward with housing developments, failing to recognize the presence of modified trees, rock arrangements, and sacred sites that are the legacy of the oldest continuous culture in the world.
This destruction, driven by profits and short-term gains, is a continuation of a colonial legacy that has long ignored or undervalued the land and culture of First Nations peoples.
Part 3
A Path Forward: Legislation and Advocacy
The Juukan Gorge destruction was not illegal. To explore why, a Senate inquiry was formed and published “A Pathway Forward” (1) in October 2021, offering seven key recommendations to better protect Australia’s cultural heritage. None of the recommendations have moved to legislation. State and territory governments are stuck in a legislative deadlock, waiting for the Commonwealth to take the lead. The result is that outdated laws continue to leave cultural heritage sites unprotected and vulnerable to destruction.
Colonial exploitation continues on our watch.
Kabi Kabi leaders recently spoke out on Sorry Day, noting that the destruction of Country continues every day. And they gave a powerful message that the wellbeing of the people is intimately tied to the wellbeing of the land.
Taking Action: What Can We Do?
- Educate Yourself and Others: Start by learning about the sacred sites and special places around us. Understand that many sites are not just historical landmarks, but living expressions of cultural identity. Know what to look for — modified trees, rock carvings, middens — and respect their significance.
- Support the Kabi Kabi People: As allies, we can amplify the voices of First Nations communities. Stand with the Kabi Kabi peoples in their efforts to protect their cultural heritage. Share stories, listen to their concerns, and support their advocacy.
- Use Your Voice in Elections: Ask candidates what they are doing to improve the protection of cultural heritage. Hold them accountable for the preservation of the unique culture that defines our region. We need stronger, unified legislation at all levels of government.
- Connect with the Land: Take the time to connect with the land around you. Walk the land, feel how life connects and allow the land to speak to you.
- Make a Pledge with ANTAR https://antar.org.au/issues/cultural-heritage/pledge/?ref=action
Part 4
Reflections
I walked with a Kabi Kabi friend over the land in my neighbourhood and he showed me how the land had been formed to create a protected village. I would never have seen this with my white fella eyes. The village was seasonal; an earth mound was constructed to protect from the winds. During that season, food was plentiful in this area, and they built a kitchen to prepare food to maximise the nutrition available for the mob.
Colonial history starts with the premise of Terra Nullius- there are no people = no culture. All evidence was wantonly destroyed to perpetuate the myth. The interrelationship of person, land and ancestors was beyond comprehension for the British who were proudly expanding their empire and their corporate profits.
Aboriginal people were classified as part of the flora and fauna.
People were removed from their land and sent far away and punished for retaining any intangible heritage, such as language, song or stories. The consistent strategy of removing people from their land and language, and removing children from their families, was a deliberate strategy to alienate any potency of notions of culture. In their absence settlers destroyed tangible heritage on vacated land.
The settlers’ economic systems relied on the notion of ownership, class structures and capitalist exploitation by extraction. The capitalist system depends on the concept of ownership.
First Nations culture depends on the concept of belonging to an ecological system through interrelationship of community, life and land.
Today, tourists want to experience the archeological sites here in the way they did visiting a Maori village, the pyramids or stonehenge. While our cultural heritage laws are ineffective, Traditional Owners cannot trust public knowledge and possible malicious attacks. They are ‘on guard’- living on Country with no real protection.
Together, all Australians can benefit when there is real security for our cultural heritage.
Ref:
- A Pathway Forward https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Former_Committees/Northern_Australia_46P/CavesatJuukanGorge/Report/section?id=committees%2freportjnt%2f024757%2f77690
Further Reading:
Dhawura Ngilan: A Vision for for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Heritage in Australia