At their meeting next Thursday the council will discuss whether Preminghana petroglyphs, ancient Indigenous rock carvings, will be removed from the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Galley and returned to the Aboriginal community.
QVMAG received an official request for the return of the carvings, which have been in its possession for about 60 years, in December last year.
The Tasmanian Museum and Art Galley also have Preminghana petroglyphs in its collection.
In December last year they agreed to return them to the Indigenous community. ALCT chairman Michael Mansell is urging both museums to return the petroglyphs by September. He said he has written to the council urging them to hand the items in the QVMAG collection directly to elders.
"We encourage them to make a decision quickly ... we have asked them to without delay hand the fragments of the petroglyphs that they have over to the Aboriginal community in a ceremony where the elders would take possession," Mr Mansell said
Mr Mansell said such a ceremony would remove the need for a permit from Aboriginal Affairs Minister Elise Archer. If the council approves the return of the rock carvings at QVMAG, they will be required to undertake a community consultation process.
Under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1975they will also have to apply to the Aboriginal Affairs Minister for a permit to release the petroglyphs.
City of Launceston mayor Albert Van Zetten said he expected the council would vote to return the petroglyphs.
A government spokesperson said they would like to see the petroglyphs returned to the Indigenous community as quickly as possible.
Item 17.2 preminghana Petroglyphs FILE NO: SF4610 / SF6695
GENERAL MANAGER: Tracy Puklowski (Creative Arts and Cultural Services Network)
DECISION STATEMENT: To determine whether the preminghana petroglyphs will be deaccessioned from the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG) collection in accordance with the guidelines for repatriation set out by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Heritage Council.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL CONSIDERATION:
Workshop - June 4 - Repatriation of preminghana Petroglyphs
RECOMMENDATION:
That Council: .
1. Determines that the preminghana petroglyphs shall be deaccessioned from the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery collection; .
2. Undertake a community consultation process in accordance with, the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1975; and .
3. Follow the direction of the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and seek a permit under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1975 to release the preminghana petroglyphs to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community
REPORT: The City of Launceston's Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery has held the preminghana petroglyphs (rock engravings) in its collection for almost 70 years.
They were removed from a beach where they lay after falling from a cliff face and deposited at the museum for safekeeping. The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) also has petroglyphs from the same area in its collection. On 23 December 2019, QVMAG received a formal request for the return of the petroglyphs to the 'Tasmanian Aboriginal Community' from Graeme Gardner, on behalf of the Aboriginal Land Council Tasmania (ALCT). The ALCT is a statutory authority which was established under the Aboriginal Lands Act 1995 (Tas) in order to act as a custodian of parcels of land returned to the Tasmanian Aboriginal community. The Act provides for City of Launceston the election of the ALCT to hold and manage lands vested by the Act on behalf of the Aboriginal people of Tasmania. .
Following this request, meetings were held between Mr Gardner and QVMAG staff and the Chief Executive Officer of the City of Launceston in February 2020. The General Manager Creative Arts and Cultural Services has also held discussions with the Chief Executive of the Aboriginal Land Council. It should be noted that a formal request had also been made to TMAG earlier in the year.
During late 2019, correspondence was also received from the Tasmanian Regional Aboriginal Communities Alliance (TRACA), and the Circular Head Aboriginal Corporation (CHAC) regarding the future of the petroglyphs, and requesting the opportunity to speak at the February 2020 QVMAG Aboriginal Reference Group meeting. Accordingly, the Aboriginal Land Council Tasmania (ALCT), TRACA and CHAC all attended the meeting and discussed their respective positions and concerns. Following the meeting, attendees as well as representatives from the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre (TAC) had a private viewing of the petroglyphs.
It was evident from the meeting that there are a range of opinions held by different Aboriginal groups as to the best outcome for the petroglyphs which range from relocation to the area where they were found to display for future generations to view. ..
Since these meetings were held the General Manager Creative Art and Culture has liaised extensively with the TMAG Director and has sought advice from Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania on the appropriate process to follow in order to progress the matter. This process is outlined in the following section of this report.
REPATRIATION: . QVMAG has long been committed to the repatriation of ancestral human remains and secret sacred material, in keeping with the national principles set out by the Return of Indigenous Cultural Property (RICP) program. QVMAG has an extensive history of working with Aboriginal communities to ensure that any such material is identified and returned without question.
Requests for the return of other Aboriginal cultural material (such as the petroglyphs detailed in this paper) are rare and are managed on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with specific processes. In Tasmania, these processes are guided by Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania and the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1975. This Act overrides any museum or Council policy. .
Under the Aboriginal Heritage Act, Aboriginal cultural material such as the petroglyphs cannot be moved/relocated (i.e. repatriated) without a permit. Community consultation is a prerequisite to the permit application process.
However, the first step towards the possible repatriation of the petroglyphs is for Council to agree for them to be deaccessioned (permanently removed) from the QVMAG collections. City of Launceston (Note that in December 2019, the Board of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Museum and Art Gallery resolved to deaccession the preminghana petroglyphs from their collection.)
Once the deaccession has been completed, the museum can then enter into a process of community consultation, before requesting a permit under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1975 to move/relocate the relics. The permit application is considered by the Aboriginal Heritage Council (Tasmania) with the final decision made by the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. It is the expectation of Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania that in the case of the petroglyphs, consultation
It is important to acknowledge that the final resting place of the petroglyphs is not a decision for QVMAG or Council to make, it is a decision that needs to be made by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community.
The process as outlined in this paper was taken to the QVMAG Aboriginal Reference Group for discussion on 1 June 2020 and has their full support.
CONSULTATION PROCESS:
TMAG, like QVMAG, has been asked to repatriate their petroglyphs, and is accordingly following the process outlined in this paper. TMAG has already embarked on contacting Aboriginal groups as the first stage of consultation.
The Directors of TMAG and QVMAG agree that having an aligned approach is sensible, and both parties are exploring whether a joint approach to consultation is feasible. In addition, QVMAG would seek to use the Your Voice Your Launceston platform as a means of gathering feedback from those individuals and groups who may not be registered with any specific Tasmanian Aboriginal organisations
In any case, the consultation would seek to determine the principles and outcomes most favoured by the Aboriginal Community for the future of the preminghana petroglyphs.
ECONOMIC IMPACT: Not considered relevant to this report.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: Not considered relevant to this report.
SOCIAL IMPACT: Returning cultural material to traditional owners can support positive social and cultural outcomes, and help to strengthen relationships. City of Launceston
STRATEGIC DOCUMENT REFERENCE: City of Launceston Corporate Strategic Plan 2014-2024 Strategic Priority 1: We connect with our community and our region through meaningful engagement, cooperation and representation. 10-Year Goal: To seek out and champion positive engagement and collaboration to capitalise on the major opportunities and address
Focus Areas:
1. To develop and consistently utilise contemporary and effective community engagement processes. City of Launceston Corporate Strategic Plan 2014-2024 Strategic Priority
3: We are a progressive leader that is accountable to our governance obligations and responsive to our community. 10-Year Goal: To ensure decisions are made in a transparent and accountable way, that effectively meet our statutory obligations, support quality services and underpin the longterm sustainability of our organisation.
Focus Areas: 3. To ensure decisions are made on the basis of accurate and relevant information.
BUDGET & FINANCIAL ASPECTS: Not considered relevant to this report.
DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS: The officer has no conflict of interest in this item.
Aboriginal Land Council chair Michael Mansell described the removal of the formation by scientists in 1962 as a "reckless act of cultural vandalism".
He said scientists sawed off and transported two large carvings from Preminghana, just north of Marrawah which were displayed at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery until 2005.
"Subsequently, the sacred carvings were removed from display at the behest of the Aboriginal community and are now stored in a warehouse at a building at Rosny",
" Mr Mansell said. "White people wrongly believed Aboriginal people did not read and write because our ancestors had no books or pens. "
They failed to understand that the of the dreaming stories, names of tribes and of warriors, and of major events, were carved permanently into stone.
"It's like cutting a finger off the Mona Lisa and we want it back."
Mr Mansell said the Land Council had asked TMAG to return the rock carving and if tomorrow's meeting decided they should be returned the museum should pay for the transfer.
"It doesn't make sense for the carving not to be returned from where it was taken and if push comes to shove we will ask the Tasmanian Government to legislate for the return," he said.
TMAG has been contacted for comment.
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