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Sacred sites in Australia are commonly found in natural landscapes such as hills, rock outcrops, trees, springs, creeks, and offshore reefs. They are deemed significant and meaningful by Aboriginal Australians based on their beliefs and social and cultural traditions. These sites are often linked to stories, songs, and ceremonies passed down for generations, with some sites being accessible only to certain groups based on gender, clan, or other factors. Sacred sites can range from a single stone or plant to an entire mountain range, and they are protected by various state and territory legislation as part of Australian heritage laws. Unfortunately, the desecration of these sites continues to occur, causing distress to Aboriginal people.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Natural features | Hills, rocks, waterholes, trees, plains, lakes, billabongs, creeks, offshore reefs, mountains, sand dunes, caves, quarries, rivers, boulders, monoliths, stone arrangements, middens, open camp sites, rock shelters |
| Cultural and spiritual significance | Sacred objects, ancestral beings, burial grounds, ceremonies, rituals, art, rock paintings, engravings, totems, animal and plant species, stories, songs, language, family-based relationships |
| Legal protection | Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (WA), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984, Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority, NT's Sacred Sites Act |
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What You'll Learn
Rock shelters
Rock art is a common feature of Aboriginal sacred sites, and these can be found in rock shelters. Rock art galleries are considered obvious sacred sites, and the art within them is often linked to stories, songs, and ceremonies. The art can be in the form of engravings or paintings, and the precise meanings behind them are not always known. However, they are believed to be products of sacred ceremonies and are periodically re-engraved or repainted as part of ongoing rituals.
One example of a significant rock shelter site is Juukan 2 in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. This site showed evidence of 46,000 years of continuous human occupation during the Ice Age and was of great cultural significance to the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people. Unfortunately, in May 2020, Rio Tinto demolished Juukan 2 to expand an iron ore mine, causing distress to the traditional owners and all Aboriginal people.
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Rock art
The engravings are usually located on elevated, smooth, and flat surfaces but can also be found on large vertical rocks. They are created by drilling a series of holes and connecting them to form lines and shapes. The precise meanings behind the engravings are not known, but they are believed to be products of sacred ceremonies and rituals. The art is often created using ochre, which is mined in quarries and pits. Ochre is significant to Aboriginal people, not just for art but also for its medicinal and ceremonial properties.
Aboriginal rock art can also be found in other parts of Australia, such as the Pilbara region of Western Australia, where a sacred cave known as Juukan 2 was demolished in 2020, causing distress to the traditional owners. This site had evidence of continuous human occupation for 46,000 years and was of great cultural and archaeological significance. The loss of such sites and objects has resulted in profound sorrow for Aboriginal people, as they are integral to their relationship with the land and their cultural heritage.
The preservation and protection of Aboriginal sacred sites, including rock art, are of utmost importance. However, they face various threats, including natural processes, development, and vandalism. For example, the federal government approved plans for a residential complex near Mount Ainslie in Canberra, on a site deemed significant by archaeologists, without consulting local Aboriginal organisations or elders. Additionally, in 2017, a group of men desecrated Karlu Karlu (the Devils Marbles) by defecating on a boulder, causing spiritual devastation to its traditional owners.
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Stone arrangements
Aboriginal sacred sites are often natural landscapes such as hills, rocks, waterholes, trees, springs, creeks, and offshore reefs. They are significant because they mark a particular act of a creation being in Aboriginal mythology and are linked to stories, language, song, ceremony, and other practices. Many sacred sites are considered powerful places, and the violation of their sanctity is deemed dangerous for both the transgressors and the custodians of the site.
The protection of Aboriginal sacred sites has been a recent focus, with global attention brought to the issue by the destruction of sacred sites by mining companies. In 2020, Rio Tinto legally demolished a sacred cave in Western Australia that had evidence of 46,000 years of continuous human occupation. This destruction has caused spiritual devastation to the traditional owners of the land and has highlighted the need for better protection of these sacred sites.
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Burial sites
Aboriginal burial sites can be found in various locations, such as soft ground, sand dunes, rock shelters, and sometimes specially constructed mounds. One notable example is the UNESCO World Heritage Site in New South Wales, where archaeologists discovered the remains of the Mungo Lady and the Mungo Man, proving that Indigenous people inhabited Australia for over 40,000 years. This site is recognised as the oldest ritual burial place in the world.
Another type of burial site is the Bora ring or ceremonial ground, which usually consists of two stone or moulded earth circles with an interconnecting pathway. These grounds served as spaces for important ceremonies and meetings. Over time, the circles can flatten and become overgrown, but the compacted soil and slight changes in vegetation can still be detected, especially from an aerial view.
Rock shelters, quarries, and open camp sites also served as occupation sites for Aboriginal people, and some of these sites are considered sacred. For example, rock shelters provided protection from the weather, and the walls were often used for rock paintings depicting cultural and spiritual figures, as well as animals and implements. These paintings were created using white pipe clay, ochre, gypsum, and charcoal.
Unfortunately, many sacred burial sites in Australia have been desecrated or destroyed due to development, mining, and a lack of understanding or respect for Aboriginal heritage. For instance, in 2020, Rio Tinto demolished a sacred cave in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, which held evidence of 46,000 years of continuous human occupation. Additionally, the federal government approved plans for a residential complex near Mount Ainslie in Canberra, on a site deemed significant by archaeologists and the local Ngambri people, without proper consultation or assessment of its Indigenous heritage.
The protection of Aboriginal burial sites is crucial, and various state and territory-based legislation, as well as the federal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984, aim to safeguard these sacred places. However, incidents of desecration continue to occur, causing distress and severing vital spiritual links for Aboriginal people.
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Sacred objects
Aboriginal sacred sites are protected by various state- and territory-based legislation as part of Australian heritage laws, and the federal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 can be invoked if a site is not considered adequately covered by legislation in the jurisdiction. However, the desecration of sacred sites and the distress it causes to Aboriginal people continues today, and many sacred objects have been removed from Central Australia and placed in private and public collections in Australia and overseas.
The removal of sacred objects from Central Australia began over 100 years ago, with some objects taken as trophies or curios, while others were gathered in the name of science or given to non-Aboriginal people for safekeeping during rapid social change and white settlement. The loss of these objects has resulted in profound and ongoing sorrow for those robbed of their heritage. The Central Land Council's position on these objects is that they are the property of the descendants of the people from whom they were taken and must be returned as quickly and carefully as possible.
Aboriginal people have a long history of using ochre to tell their stories, practice ceremonies, and for medicinal purposes. Ochre is usually mined in quarries and pits, and it is still used in art, performances, and ceremonies. There are more than 400 recorded ochre pit mining sites across Australia, and the mined ochre is processed using stone and wooden tools to extract rock particles or compressed clay. The processed ochre is then mixed with water, saliva, blood, and animal fat to form an emulsion that can be painted on rocks, weapons, ceremonial objects, and skin.
Another example of a sacred object is a boulder from Karlu Karlu (the Devils Marbles), which was removed and transported 400 kilometres to Alice Springs to mark and protect the grave of Dr John Flynn, the founder of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. This act was seen as a sign of respect by some and deep disrespect by others.
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Frequently asked questions
Uluru, also known as Ayer's Rock, is considered the most sacred site in Aboriginal folklore. Other sacred sites include Kakadu National Park, the Willandra Lakes Region, Murujuga, and the Blue Mountains.
Sacred sites can include natural features such as hills, rocks, waterholes, trees, plains, and other natural features. They can also be intangible and connected to stories, language, songs, and ceremonies.
Sacred sites are significant to Aboriginal people as they anchor their cultural values and spiritual and family-based relationships with the land. They are also linked to the concept of "The Dreaming" or "Dreamtime", which refers to the time of creation when ancestral beings created the physical and social world.
Some features found within sacred sites include rock art, shell middens, stone arrangements, burial grounds, and ochre deposits.
Yes, sacred sites are protected by various state- and territory-based legislation as part of Australian heritage laws. The federal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 can also be invoked to protect sites not adequately covered by other legislation. However, there have been incidents of sacred sites being desecrated or destroyed, such as the demolition of a sacred cave in the Pilbara region by Rio Tinto in 2020.
