Aboriginal cave find reveals 12,000-year-old healing ritual passed down through generations

Evidence of an ancient healing ritual, unchanged for over 12,000 years and passed down through more than 500 generations, has been unveiled through the discovery of two burnt sticks covered in animal fat inside an Australian cave. The recent research, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, sheds light on the longstanding tradition that has been transmitted orally since the end of the last ice age. The two well-preserved sticks were found in Cloggs Cave, located in southeastern Australia's Victorian Alps and historically inhabited by the Gunaikurnai people.

Previously, during the 1970s excavation of the cave, archaeologists discovered the remains of an extinct giant kangaroo. However, the Gunaikurnai people were not involved in this research nor asked for permission to conduct the study, as lead author Bruno David explained. In subsequent excavations initiated in 2020, the research team included members from the local Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC).

Using careful excavation techniques, the team unearthed two small sticks made from casuarina tree wood. Each stick was found in a separate fireplace the size of a hand's palm, smaller than typical fireplaces used for heat or cooking meat. The slightly charred ends of the sticks were deliberately cut to pierce into the fire, and both were coated in animal or human fat. Radiocarbon dating determined that one stick was 11,000 years old, while the other dated back 12,000 years.

According to Gunaikurnai elder Russell Mullett, who is also the head of GLaWAC and a co-author of the study, the sticks have been patiently waiting for their knowledge to be revealed. Mullett also mentioned the difficulties he faced in understanding the sticks' purpose before stumbling upon the accounts of 19th-century anthropologist Alfred Howitt. Some of Howitt's unpublished notes elucidated the rituals of Gunaikurnai medicine men and women known as "mulla-mullung," providing valuable insights.

One ritual involved attaching an item belonging to an unwell person onto a throwing stick coated with human or kangaroo fat. The stick was then thrust into the ground while a small fire was kindled underneath. As the mulla-mullung chanted the ill person's name, the charm was believed to manifest upon the stick's fall. Howitt remarked that the sticks used in the ritual were made from casuarina wood.

French geomorphologist and study co-author Jean-Jacques Delannoy noted the significance of the gesture's symbolic preservation over such an extensive period, referencing Australia's powerful oral tradition that has kept the memory of its first peoples alive. Delannoy expressed regret that the interpretations of ancient animal paintings found in French caves may never be fully understood due to the loss of similar traditions.

The discovery provides a unique opportunity for connectedness with the ancient past for the Indigenous Australians, recognizing their status as one of the world's oldest continuous living cultures. Mullett highlighted the importance of this finding, emphasizing that it serves as a reminder of their enduring heritage and cultural identity. The Aboriginal people can now delve into the remarkable historical narratives of their ancestors, immortalized in these sticks and enabling their living culture to be celebrated.