47,000 Years of Aboriginal Heritage Erased in Mining Blast at Juukan Gorge

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are cautioned that this article contains an image of deceased individuals, included with permission from the Traditional Owners.

In May 2020, Rio Tinto, under legally granted expansion rights, obliterated an ancient rockshelter at Juukan Gorge in the Puutu Kunti Kurrama region of Pilbara, Western Australia. This site, known as Juukan 2, had been excavated in collaboration with the Traditional Owners in 2014. The excavation uncovered substantial evidence that Aboriginal people had utilized this shelter for approximately 47,000 years, enduring through the last ice age until just a few decades prior to the cave’s destruction.

Juukan Gorge, about 60 kilometers northwest of Tom Price, is an assembly of caves deeply embedded in Puutu Kunti Kurrama Country. The now-destroyed Juukan 2 formed part of a rich ecosystem surrounded by ironstone mountains and seasonally flowing rivers. It previously served as a massive camping area featuring fresh waterholes.

Today, this area resides within Rio Tinto's iron ore mining operations. The demolition of Juukan 2 during mine expansion, although legally sanctioned, was carried out against the wishes of the Traditional Owners. This act invoked extensive worldwide reprimand and emphasized the inadequacies of Western Australia's heritage protection laws.

Significance of Juukan Gorge

Juukan Gorge, named after a Puutu Kunti Kurrama ancestor, holds immense cultural and scientific importance. For the Puutu Kunti Kurrama people, it is a sacred site brimming with historical evidence of their long-standing presence and interaction with the landscape.

Scientifically, Juukan 2 is one of the earliest recorded sites of Aboriginal habitation in Australia. Although there are sites older along Australia’s coasts, Juukan stands among the oldest in inland Australia, illustrating human resilience to harsh desert conditions.

Archaeologists discovered thousands of artifacts at Juukan 2, including tools assembled with resin from spinifex grass, believed to be used as glue. The site also contained numerous animal remains, signifying human diets encompassing kangaroos, emus, and echidnas over millennia. Particularly noteworthy was a 3,000-year-old plait of human hair, genetically linked to the Traditional Owners involved in the excavation.

The items found were remarkably well-preserved, including a 30,000-year-old bone point from a kangaroo’s shinbone, tinted with ochre, which may signify a ritualistic purpose.

Future Endeavors

Following the destruction in 2020, extensive re-excavation efforts have been underway to unearth the site’s vast archaeological remnants. Approximately 150 cubic meters of debris, formerly the cave's roof and wall, have been meticulously cleared. Underneath this rubble, traces of organic material and parts of the original cave floor have been discovered, along with more significant artifacts such as plaited hair, shell beads, and jaw fragments of an extinct Tasmanian devil.

The results from our 2014 excavation are freshly published in Quaternary Science Reviews, symbolizing a new chapter in understanding Juukan 2's archaeology. The place remains pivotal to both the Traditional Owners and scientists striving to expand the comprehension of Australia's cultural heritage.

The Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura Aboriginal Corporation co-authored this article and the related research, honoring their cultural customs and joint knowledge.

Earlier, SSP wrote about a dark matter ahead in a collision of megagalaxy clusters.