Table of Contents
- 1 Why did Rio Tinto destroy the caves?
- 2 Why were the Juukan Gorge caves destroyed?
- 3 What happened to the Juukan caves?
- 4 How many Aboriginal sites have been lost?
- 5 Who destroyed Juukan Gorge?
- 6 How many Aboriginal sites have been destroyed?
- 7 Is Uluru under threat?
- 8 What does the term Firestick farming mean?
- 9 How old are the oldest cave sites in Australia?
- 10 Is this the highest archaeological significance in Australia’s Pilbara region?
Why did Rio Tinto destroy the caves?
Mining giant Rio Tinto decided to destroy two 46,000-year-old Aboriginal rock shelters in order to access $135 million worth of iron ore that would not have been available under alternative mining plans avoiding the culturally significant site.
Why were the Juukan Gorge caves destroyed?
The 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters were destroyed for an iron ore mine in Western Australia last year. A public and investor backlash led to the resignation of then-chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques and two deputies.
What happened to the Juukan caves?
The gorge is known primarily for a cave that was the only inland site in Australia with evidence of continuous human occupation for over 46,000 years, including through the last Ice Age. The cave was permanently destroyed by mining company Rio Tinto in May 2020.
When were the Juukan caves destroyed?
May 24: World’s biggest iron ore miner destroys the rock shelters in the Juukan Gorge, one of which showed evidence of continual human habitation dating back 46,000 years.
Why did the boss of the mining company Rio Tinto step down recently?
Investors and First Nations groups have welcomed the Rio Tinto chair Simon Thompson’s decision to leave the company after accepting he was “ultimately accountable” for the mining company’s decision to blow up ancient rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara.
How many Aboriginal sites have been lost?
Bev Manton, Chairperson of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council, observes that “some 900 sites have been destroyed in recent years… with recent figures showing up to five permits [to destroy cultural heritage] being issued a week”. New South Wales remains the only state without independent culture and heritage legislation.
Who destroyed Juukan Gorge?
Rio Tinto
Sunday will mark a year since Rio Tinto destroyed the 46,000-year-old, culturally significant rock shelters in Western Australia’s Pilbara. Reflecting on the incident, Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) Aboriginal Corporation director Burchell Hayes said nothing could repair the damage done.
How many Aboriginal sites have been destroyed?
What happened to Rio Tinto?
Mining giant Rio Tinto has been accused of allowing hundreds of irreplaceable Indigenous cultural artefacts from the iron ore rich Pilbara region to be thrown away at a rubbish dump in Darwin, and failed to disclose the disposal to Aboriginal traditional owners for decades.
Who resigned from Rio Tinto?
Twitter’s Jack Dorsey resigns as CEO Rio Tinto later apologized for the incident, with its chairman Simon Thompson admitting: “What happened at Juukan was wrong.”
Is Uluru under threat?
2020 Conservation Outlook The key threats to the site are: wildfire, feral animals (camels, foxes, cats and rabbits), weeds and invasive exotic species (especially buffel grass) and erosion.
What does the term Firestick farming mean?
Wiktionary. firestick farmingnoun. A traditional practice of the aboriginal people of Australia whereby areas of bushland or other vegetation would be deliberately set on fire at various times in order to promote new growth.
How old are the oldest cave sites in Australia?
The cave sites were among the oldest in Australia, with evidence of continuous human habitation going back 46,000 years. Advice delivered to Rio Tinto and the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) Indigenous people of the region six years ago was never publicly released.
What happened to Australia’s oldest sacred site?
A sacred site in Western Australia that showed 46,000 years of continual occupation and provided a 4,000-year-old genetic link to present-day traditional owners has been destroyed in the expansion of an iron ore mine.
Why did Rio Tinto destroy a sacred site in Western Australia?
It was blasted along with another sacred site on Sunday. Mining company Rio Tinto received ministerial consent to destroy or damage the site in 2013 under WA’s outdated Aboriginal heritage laws, which were drafted in 1972 to favour mining proponents.
Is this the highest archaeological significance in Australia’s Pilbara region?
PrintCancel Mining giant Rio Tinto was alerted six years ago that at least one of the caves it blasted in Western Australia’s Pilbara region last month was of “the highest archaeological significance in Australia”. Key points: Reports on the site describe one of the caves as the “only one in the Pilbara to contain such aspects of material culture”