Artworks by Indigenous Australians , some date stamp back decade of one thousand of years , have suffered damage lately frommining operations , climate change , and now measured malicious mischief . Irreparable damage to Koonalda Cave on the Nullarbor Plain suggests no part of the res publica is safe , even when there is no money to be made . For the traditional owners , the damage has been compounded by insensitiveness after its find .
“ Do n’t look now , but this is a destruction cave ” was scratched into the Koonalda ’s rock candy , defacing nontextual matter stretching back tens of thousands of years . Archaeologist Keryn Walshe toldThe Guardian : “ The vandals have a huge amount of damage . The art is not recoverable . ”
“ Koonalda is one of our most significant Whale Dreaming songline place of art and one of the last of its sort on this planet,“senior elder of the Mirning People Uncle Bunna Lawrie said in a affirmation provided to IFLScience . " All of our Elders are devastated , shock and hurt by the late blasphemy of this site . ”
The Bunda cliffs are where the Nullarbor meets the sea, but once the area to the south was a vast coastal plain. Image Credit: Bill Doyle, provided by the Mirning Cultural Group
The vandalism has meet with world-wide condemnation , but even those indignant have n’t necessarily done a good business of respecting the Mirning People ’s connexion to the land site . The Mirning Cultural Group enjoin IFLScience the Mirning Elders “ Only find out about the desecration through the metier . ” Many media outlets have shared images of the damage , in breach of protocols regarding showing pic from inside the cave . Permission was not seek from Mirning Elders , although the photograph has been wrong credit to them . Other outlets have cite an mortal and incorrectly identify him as being a Mirning Elder .
Australia isrich in cave nontextual matter , but Koonalda is distinctive . The rock is so soft that instead of paint it , Indigenous Australianscarved it with their fingers . Some of the carving has been dated to 22,000 years , putting it closely to the eyeshade of the last Ice Age , and moving in may go back much further . As the Mirning Cultural Group remark to IFLScience , at the time much of what is now the with child Australian Bight was a coastal plain stitch that was part of the Mirning multitude ’s hunt land . internet site such as Koonalda have assisted transmission of stories from that time over almost a thousand generations .
The sacred art has also contributed to non - autochthonous Australians ’ agreement of the continent ’s dependable history . In 1956 , archaeologist Dr Alexander Gallus reported the artistry , the first time Europeans had become cognisant of Australian Indigenous art in a home sunlight does not reach .
The Nullarbor plain living up to its name, and revealing the beauty that exists above the ground hear the valandalized cave. Image Credit: Bill Doyle, provided by the Mirning Cultural Group
Gallus measured the age of the scoring and nearby remains at 22,000 years , almost tripling the 8,700 year - old record for human occupation in Australia at the time . Although legion sitestwo to three times as oldhave been identified since , the determination make for an of import role in recognition of Indigenous civilisation ’s deep age .
“ We are in mourning for our consecrated place . Koonalda is like our ascendent . Our ancestor left his spirit in the rampart , of the narrative , of the songline , ” Lawrie said .
Although onAustralia ’s National Heritage listsince 2014 , Koonalda Caves were not internationally , or even across the country noted , prior to the attack . Located slightly closer to Adelaide than Perth , either way of life it ’s at least a 12 - hr drive from a major city . Located in Nullarbor National Park , the site has not been developed for touristry , reflecting its uttermost breakability and the Mirning ’s wishes .
The nearest “ town ” ( universe 53 ) is more than an hour ’s drive off , and a strong diversion even for someone passing on the main road . Although the motivation remains unknown , the malicious mischief was not a spontaneous act ; it would have required forethought just to reach out the site .
Since 2018 the Mirning citizenry have appealed to the South Australian government to fasten the site to keep entry , but this had not occurred . Access worksagainst the traditional custodian ’s wish may be the effort of a collapse at the cave ’s entrance .
Attacks on Indigenous nontextual matter are n’t restrict to Australia . Native American petroglyph in Utah hadracist phrase scratched overthem in 2021 , for example . Three years earlier , a hand truck machine driver left deep scar on the World Heritage listedNasca linesin an effort to avoid paying a toll .
