Vandals destroy 30,000-year-old Aboriginal art in South Australia

For tens of thousands of years, the Aboriginal art in an Australian cave has remained intact, but now the traces of the distant past seem to have been scratched by vandals. Aboriginal leaders and archaeologists are shocked and angry at the cave’s lack of security.

Vandals entered Koonalda Cave in South Australia state and scratched the ancient art. Don’t look now, but this is a death cave, they wrote with seemingly cheerful intent. The destruction was carried out several months ago, but only became known to a wider public this week after an article about one Australian newspaper.

The artwork is permanently damaged, archaeologist Keryn Walshe sighs The Guardian. “The rocky ground is very soft. You can’t remove the graffiti without also destroying the underlying art. It’s a tragic loss.”

The artwork in the cave, a sacred place for Aboriginal people of Australia, has protected status due to its rarity. Yet few measures have been taken to protect the art. There has been a steel fence with barbed wire since the 1980s, but vandals have dug under it.

South Australian Aboriginal Affairs Minister Kyam Maher called the vandalism “shocking and deeply saddening” and said vandals could face severe penalties if discovered. The disruption and destruction of Aboriginal sanctuaries is punishable by up to six months’ imprisonment or a fine of 10,000 Australian dollars (more than 6,000 euros).

For the original inhabitants and cavers who fight to preserve the caves with Aboriginal art, punishment alone is not enough. “That’s not what it’s about,” says Clare Buswell of a committee of cavers. “It’s about better security.”

According to the state, the fence stops most intruders and video surveillance is being considered. But much more is needed for representatives of the Mirnings, the indigenous people of parts of southern and western Australia.

A committee of original inhabitants has long been calling for better protection. “A number of letters have been sent but the state heritage committee has not responded,” said Mirning leader Clem Lawrie.

One problem with protecting the cave is that while the Mirnings formally own the site, they are unable to adequately protect it due to an old heritage law. It stipulates that they themselves do not have access to the cave and if they want to enter, they must agree with the state environment ministry.

According to Minister Maher, South Australian administrators were unaware of this until now. “We want to work as much as possible with the original inhabitants to protect these places,” he told the broadcaster ABC“and to ensure that the original inhabitants have access to their land and places”.

The protection of Aboriginal sanctuaries has been an issue in Australia for many years. Two years ago, a cave explosion in Western Australia’s Juukan Gorge sparked outrage.

The cave, which according to research was already inhabited 46,000 years ago, was blown up for the expansion of an iron mine. That devastation sparked an investigation into the protection of sacred sites and Aboriginal art.