Coast is far from clear for sacred Tasmanian Aboriginal rock art’s return

EXCLUSIVE MATTHEW DENHOLM
 TASMANIA CORRESPONDENT
 JUNE 7, 2020

For millennia, Tasmania’s Aborigines chronicled their stories in stone, carving them into the rocks and cliffs of Tasmania’s wild Tarkine coast for future generations. Now some of these remarkable ancient petroglyphs are part of a very different story.

And it’s not a happy one for the descendants of those rock-carving storytellers, nor for the broader Tasmanian community that is still working to reconcile a bloody history of Aboriginal dispossession and conflict.

In 1962, a large intact section of petroglyph from the rugged coastal area of Preminghana, in the state’s remote northwest, was sawed from its rock face and sent to Hobart’s Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. Other sections that apparently broke away naturally were taken to Launceston’s Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery for display

A long struggle to have the ­petroglyphs returned to the Aboriginal community appeared to have succeeded in December, with the TMAG committing to the move. However, the process has stalled and some Aboriginal groups are mystified as to why.

The Australian has learned the return of the cultural treasure has become tangled in red tape, consultation and hand-wringing, as well as differences among Aboriginal groups.

Experts, meanwhile, warn the priceless rock art, likened by some authorities to treasures of ancient Egypt, will rapidly disintegrate if it is returned, unprotected, to its original coastal site.

Michael Mansell, chair of the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania, has called for state legislation to break the deadlock and have the petroglyphs returned to Preminghana. “There’s nothing to consult about. Just get on with it — legislate, make them do it,” Mr Mansell said.

“The stories of how and where Aboriginal life began … are carved into these rocks. Whenever major events took place in the sky, that’s carved into the rock. When there was a significant meeting of the tribes … you can see the markings.

“There is a whole coastline of these markings. It’s like a big ­jigsaw puzzle, and when they took away these slabs and put them in museums, they took away the middle piece.”

It seems everyone — the ­museums, the government and all Aboriginal groups — accept the petroglyphs should return to the Aboriginal community. But in ­recent years, the state government has broadened its indigenous consultation to include a range of groups, not just Mr Mansell’s long-established ALCT and the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre.

Some of these newer groups have different ideas about what should happen to the rock carvings. Some favour a museum of their own to house them, others want guarantees of access to Preminghana, owned by ALCT.

Mr Mansell said the property had public access, but Rodney Dillon, co-chair of the Tasmanian Regional Aboriginal Communities Alliance, said some people wanted guarantees of access to the carvings and of their protection from erosion and vandalism.

“The museums have a responsibility to all Aboriginal people in the state to see what we all think should happen,” Mr Dillon said. “There’ll be angst on who gets them and where they go. I think we all have a common view that they should go back to where they came from. My fear is that someone will want to have them (exclusively) and hold on to them.”

Peter Sims, a rock art expert who saw the petroglyphs in situ in 1961 before they were removed and is writing a study on them, said they must return to the Aboriginal community. However, he warned they would “disintegrate” rapidly if exposed to the elements and rising sea levels.

“That’s my greatest fear,” he said. “It would only last a short ­period of time if left out exposed. It would have to be protected in some way, (for example) with a shelter and Perspex.”

Albert van Zetten, mayor of the City of Launceston, which runs QVMAG, said the council would on Thursday make a decision on the way forward, but was trying to balance “a range of opinions held by different groups”

“Council is genuinely committed to making sure they return to the Aboriginal community and we’re trying to work towards the best outcome,” he said.

 It appeared a permit was required under the Aboriginal Heritage Act to move the carvings from museum storage. While some argue this is akin to requiring a permit to return stolen goods, it is a position taken by TMAG and confirmed by the state government.

As part of the permit application process, the (TMAG) board is consulting with Aboriginal community organisations and individuals about the repatriation,” said TMAG director Janet Carding.

Premier Peter Gutwein wants the petroglyphs returned “as soon as possible”, blaming delays on the COVID-19 restrictions.

 At Preminghana, Aboriginal rangers Victor Ralph and Tim Lowery believe a way can and must be found to bring the carvings “back home”. “This is where they belong. They should never have been taken in the first place,” Mr Ralph said.