IMAGE Workers use a saw to remove the ancient petroglyph from Preminghana in the 1960s. It has remained in the possession of Tasmanian museums since. Picture: supplied
The Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania has encouraged the City of Launceston council to act quickly in deciding whether or not to return rock carvings to the Indigenous 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.
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.
The Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania has expressed concern at an apparent delay in the repatriation of ancient West Coast rock carvings that remain in the collection of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery.
In December, the ALCT received confirmation that the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery board had agreed to return the Preminghana petroglyphs to the Tasmanian Aboriginal community.
The rock carving fragment stands at about six-foot in height, and was removed in the 1960s. It forms part of a 20-kilometre network of carvings in the area that give insight into stories, totems, warriors, camps and roads spanning thousands of years.
Last week, the ALCT received a letter from TMAG stating that it "wishes to consult with Aboriginal community organisations and individuals", but that this had become impossible due to COVID-19.
Chairperson Michael Mansell said the Aboriginal community had encountered delays in the past when attempting to receive the remains of Truganini and the remains from the Crowther collection, and he feared the same was happening with the Preminghana petroglyphs.
"When they don't want to give up something, they just sit it out, they go to consultation, they go to an advisory body, they find whatever reason or hurdle they can to put in the way," Mr Mansell said.
"We know from experts in Queensland that these types of repatriations are still regularly done, but they do cost a lot of money.
"If they could find the money in the 60s to take them, they could find the money now to bring them back."
TMAG offered to discuss the matter with the ALCT either by phone or virtually.
Mr Mansell called on the state government to pass legislation that would force the museums to return the rock carvings.
Arts Minister Elise Archer said the process under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1975 required "consulting with Aboriginal community organisations and individuals".
"TMAG is making arrangements to progress with these discussions, working within the current COVID-19 pandemic guidelines," she said.
City of Launceston mayor Albert van Zetten said they had held meetings with the QVMAG Aboriginal Reference Group, the Circular Head Aboriginal Corporation and the ALCT, a process which it believed would "determine the best outcome" for the repatriation.
Sacred Aboriginal rock art to be returned: TMAG
Sue BaileyDECEMBER 12 2019
The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery will return sacred North-West rock art to the Aboriginal community.
In a statement, the TMAG board said it recognised that one large petroglyph panel and a number of smaller pieces in its collection belonged to the Aboriginal community. ..
"The board recognises the significance of this material as part of an extensive and complex cultural landscape at Preminghana," it said.
The TMAG board resolved that it intends to deaccession the petroglyphs and return them to the Tasmanian Aboriginal community, once the necessary arrangements and approvals are in place."
Aboriginal Land Council chair Michael Mansell said Aboriginal people would be "thrilled to the teeth" about the return of the rock art to the people and place from which it was taken near Marrawah.
"The museum board acted with great sensitivity," Mr Mansell said. .
"The quick response saved further Aboriginal anxiety which would have been caused by delay.
"We understand the board were alive to the importance of rectifying the act of cultural vandalism caused by past museu
"It was like cutting off the finger of Mona Lisa so that if the rest of the painting was destroyed part of it was saved."
Mr Mansell thanked the museum for honouring the wishes of the Aboriginal community who met on Tuesday and decided the sacred rocks should be returned.
"The Aborigines who carved out symbols of tribes and great warriors in these sacred rocks between 3,000 and 8,000 years ago described where the villages and camping grounds were, walking tracks and significant events on the ground and in space," he said.
"The rock carvings are the oldest written record of human history in Tasmania going back between 3,000 and 8,000 years."
It is expected the rocks will be returned to the North West Coast next year.
"TMAG has written to representatives of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community to formally advise of its intention to deaccession the Preminghana material and to continue the discussions around next steps," the board statement said.
Tasmanian Aboriginal ancestors repatriated to Launceston | Photos, Videos Holly Monery DECEMBER 6 2016
IMAGE: FINALLY HOME: Members of Tasmania's Aboriginal community emotionally welcomed home the ancestral remains at Launceston Airport on Tuesday. Picture: Neil Richardson
Three Tasmanian Aboriginal ancestors were repatriated on Tuesday, after being studied at the Australian National University in Canberra. .
IMAGE The remains arrived in Launceston under the watchful eye of Tasmanian Aboriginal delegates Jarrod Edwards and Thomas Riley.
The Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre has campaigned for the repatriation of ancestral remains from national and international museums and other institutions for more than 40 years, in order to return the elders to their tribal lands so their spirits could be put to rest.
IMAGE Ancestral remains arrive in Launceston. Pictures: Neil Richardson
“Our old people are an integral part of our story and our connection to our country and they deserve the right to be laid to rest here and they should never have been moved,” Mr Edwards said.
The three ancestors had been traditionally buried but their resting place was disrupted mid-last century in an archaeological excavation.
A greeting ceremony was performed by young members of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community as the elders arrived at the Launceston Airport. .
Mr Riley said the responsibility to bring the remains back to Tasmania was “the highest privilege” he had experienced in his life.
He said the ancestors walked the Earth about the same time that Tasmania’s petroglyphs, or rock art, were created. .
“It’s very significant to us and now they are able to be laid to rest and it’s a strong feeling for us to know that we are not being used in that manner anymore,” he said.
NAIDOC Week puts Tasmanian women in the spotlight Harry Murtough JULY 8 2018
IMAGE PROUD: Aboriginal Elder and artist Judith-Rose Thomas, with one of her petroglyph pieces. Pictures: Phillip Biggs
Aboriginal women will be at the forefront of NAIDOC 2018, with the national week of Indigenous cultural celebration starting on Sunday. The theme of the week has been titled ‘because of her, we can’ which aims to highlight the importance of understanding and respecting the roles of Indigenous women in Australia.
Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre state secretary Trudy Maluga said this year’s theme was more relevant than ever. “They are our mothers, our elders, our grandmothers, our aunties, our sisters, our daughters,” she said.
“As pillars of society, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, have played – and continue to play – active and significant roles at the family, community, local, state and national levels.”
NAIDOC stands for National Aboriginal and Islander Day of Celebrations.
The week originally started in 1938, after protests occurred in what was then named the Day of Mourning.
Miss Maluga said NAIDOC Week 2018 would be a chan
She said NAIDOC Week is a chance to raise a voice over the continuous struggle for access to education and employment. .
There will be a number of events held during the week, including a flag raising ceremony held at the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre office in Launceston.
The week will be capped off with a rally held in Hobart at Parliament Square with the theme of ‘treaty’.
IMAGE PASSION: Aboriginal artist and Elder Nannette Shaw, with one of her kelp sculptures.
Aboriginal Elder and artist Judith-Rose Thomas also highlighted the importance Indigenous women have in Tasmanian Aboriginal culture.
Thomas and fellow Aboriginal elder and artist Nannette Shaw recently opened an exhibition in Launceston’s Sawtooth Gallery, emphasising Aboriginal culture through artistic expression.
Both artists agreed the week was about showing Tasmania the strength of Indigenous women in the community.
Shaw was selected as a finalist for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, which will take place in Darwin this August.
Her art is centred around the use of kelp to create baskets and sacks, similar to how it was done in traditional Aboriginal cultures. .
Shaw believes that Aboriginal art can be therapeutic as well as an engaging way for Indigenous women to learn about their culture.
“In a lot of cases with the girls I’ve worked with it reconnects them back to where they need to be,” Shaw said.
“So really I’m just showcasing that to show there is a variety of different things that we have in Tasmania, and we should be proud for them.”
Thomas’ art is focused on the use of rock carvings, known as petroglyphs to demonstrate the richness of Tasmanian Aboriginal culture.
She hoped her exhibits, which are the largest Aboriginal art pieces to ever be displayed in Tasmania, would give people a chance to see illustrations typically only seen in remote parts of the state.
The Elders hoped their stories will encourage younger Indigenous Tasmanians to learn about and appreciate their heritage.
“We’re Aboriginal Elders so we have to try
This sentiment was also shared by Aboriginal art and history expert Doctor Greg Lehman, who lectures at the University of Tasmania on the topics of Aboriginal education, heritage management, culture and arts.
“It is those young Aboriginal people who look to and respect today’s Elders who will be most respected as the Elders of tomorrow,” Dr Lehman said.
When discussing NAIDOC Week, Dr Lehman said he also believed that Indigenous women play an integral role in society.
“The unbroken tradition of shell necklace making, preserved and practiced by Elder women, is a powerful example,” he said.
Dr Lehman also believed that Australia needs to better recognise the importance of Indigenous art, if it is to properly appreciate the full extent of Australia’s human history.
For more information on NAIDOC Week, visit www.naidoc.org.au/.
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