Juukan Gorge facts for kids

Juukan Gorge is a special gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It is about 60 kilometers from the town of Tom Price. The gorge was named by the daughter of a Puutu Kunti Kurrama man named Juukan.

This area was home to a very important cave. It was the only place in inland Australia that showed signs of people living there continuously for over 46,000 years. This includes during the last Ice Age! Sadly, a mining company called Rio Tinto destroyed this ancient cave in May 2020. They had permission to expand their mine in 2013 under an old Western Australian law.

Before it was destroyed, the cave was explored several times with the help of the traditional owners of the land, the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) peoples. Now, as part of making things right, there are plans to build a full-size copy of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters at the site.

Discovering Ancient History at Juukan Gorge

People knew Juukan Gorge was important for archaeology since at least 2009. Back then, experts described it as having "two rock shelters with Aboriginal occupation starting at least 32,000 years ago." This meant people lived there through the entire Last Glacial period.

In 2013, Rio Tinto received permission to mine the area to expand their iron ore operations. Just one year later, in 2014, an archaeological dig made an amazing discovery. The site was much older than first thought, about 46,000 years old! It was full of cultural artifacts. These included animal bones that showed how local animals changed over time, grindstones, and various sacred objects.

One incredible find was a piece of plaited human hair, about 4,000 years old. It was woven from strands of hair from different people. DNA testing later showed that this hair belonged to the direct ancestors of the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) people who live today. This discovery made the site even more special.

Experts like PKKP heritage manager Heather Builth told Rio Tinto that the site was one of the "top five" most important in the entire Pilbara region. Archaeologist Michael Slack even said that one of the shelters, Juukan 2, was of "the highest archaeological significance in Australia." He explained that its importance "could not be overstated." It was the only site of its age with animal remains clearly found with stone tools.

The Destruction of a Sacred Site

Despite its incredible history and the Traditional Owners' wishes, the cave was destroyed with explosives on May 24, 2020. This happened as part of Rio Tinto's plan to expand their Brockman 4 mine. The PKKP people had asked many times to save the site. They even sent an urgent request to stop the blasts just five days before.

However, an old law, the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (WA), did not allow mining permission to be changed based on new information. So, the blasting was technically legal under this old law. The Traditional Owners had participated in earlier excavation works in 2009 and had not objected to the initial mining consent in 2013. However, they were not fully aware of the site's immense importance until later discoveries.

An Investigation into What Happened

After the destruction, a special group of government officials, called the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia, started an investigation on June 11, 2020. This investigation was called the "Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000-year-old caves at the Juukan Gorge."

Rio Tinto appeared before the inquiry in August 2020. They admitted that they did not tell the Traditional Owners about other choices besides blasting. Senior leaders at the company did not fully understand how important the site was until just a few days before the destruction. The committee received 160 submissions from different groups and people between June and November 2020.

The "Never Again" Report

On December 9, 2020, the inquiry released its first report, titled Never Again. This report showed how much more power mining companies had compared to Indigenous peoples when protecting ancient heritage. It also highlighted serious problems with the old laws meant to protect Indigenous heritage.

The report made seven important recommendations. These included stopping mining in the area for a while and repairing the site. It also recommended that the Traditional Owners should receive payment for the damage. The report called the destruction of the caves "inexcusable." It also asked mining companies to voluntarily stop acting on existing approvals if new important information came up.

The report also suggested that the Western Australian Government should review and update its state heritage laws. It also recommended that the federal government review the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984. Senator Pat Dodson said that the destruction of these ancient sites was "a disaster for our nation and the world."

The full report, called A Way Forward, was published on October 18, 2021. It looked into the failures of both state and federal heritage protection laws.

New Laws to Protect Ancient Sites

In 2021, a new law called the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2021 was passed. This law was meant to replace the old 1972 Act starting from July 1, 2023. The new act aimed to put traditional owners at the center of decisions about managing their heritage. It planned for Local Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Services and other Aboriginal groups to play a key role in protecting these important places.

However, on August 8, 2023, the Premier of Western Australia announced that the 2021 act would be canceled. Instead, the older 1972 act was brought back and updated. The amended 1972 law officially started in Western Australia on November 15, 2023. One important change is a new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Committee. Most of its members are Aboriginal people. This committee now makes recommendations to the government about decisions regarding Aboriginal sites. The first challenge for this new law happened in February 2024, involving waterways in the Shire of Toodyay.

Rebuilding a Piece of History

After the blasting in 2020, only a small part of the rock shelter's western wall remained. To help Indigenous Australians feel connected to the area again, plans were made to build a realistic, full-size copy of the destroyed shelters. This replica is being built in a similar way to famous cave replicas in France, like Lascaux and Chauvet.

Since there were no detailed 3D scans from before the destruction, builders are using old photos, stories passed down through generations, and even imprints of the original rock face. These are used to create concrete blocks in Perth, which will then be put together at the Pilbara site. Unlike the French replicas that used steel frames, the Juukan reconstruction will not use steel. This is to prevent rust and make sure it lasts for hundreds of years. Rio Tinto is paying for this important reconstruction project.