Nexus - 0108 - New Times Magazine-pages

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Kakadu KAKADU NATIONAL PAR K isaname euphemistically termed “Conservation Zone” and the con- that generally evokes images of a pristine envi- comitant mining activity will so erode their culture as to q rs preclude meaningful development of self-initiated activities. Peter Jadbula said that he and several other traditional ronment, a profusion of birds and other wildlife and world renowned Aboriginal cave paintings. custodians had not failed to notice that mining royalties to These mental images create a bias leading to a predeter- other tribal groups had often proved a disincentive to self- mined characterisation of this place. This characterisation of initiated activities. This leads to a loss of personal and collec- Kakadu hides a plethora of information which many people tive self-esteem. with vested interests are keen to leave unexplored lest public “If the white fellah leave us do our way first, make disquiet should disturb the uneasy consciences of the few. lawful what is ours, then maybe some mining not in ‘sick- A Pandora’s Box of inhumanities seethes along with the ness country’ good for us”, he said. teeming wildlife but gocs unnoticed by the casual tourist Mining within the area will directly sabotage their cultural wishing ‘to get away from it all’ fora holiday. base as it erodes the traditional spiritual beliefs that still bond I'll confine this commentary to ‘Stage III’ of Kakadu and people and landscape. the proposed ‘Conservation Zone’. I recently spent three As servant to Peter and Nipper, I learnt much about their months in association with the Jawoyn traditional custodians daily travail caused by ‘worlds in collision’, The competing of Coronation Hill and the surrounding ‘sickness country’. information of Government, corporate and private sectors During that period I studied information from The Sacred Sites does notarise from the landscape they know. Worse, itappears Authority, the Northern Territory Environment Centre, BHP to trivialise the living information they understand that is Gold, the Federal Government, the NT Government and vari- backed by a 35,000 year history of continuing occupation. ous other organisations, as well as sharing some time living Up to four hundred cave paintings in the area around with the scnior traditional custodians, Peter Jadbula and Nip- Sleizbeck attest to their belief in a creator God, Bula, and his per Brown. two wives having created the land and all that is in it. BHP Gold, to their credit, allowed me to ‘see for mysclf’, Bula and his two wives ‘invested’ themselves in the land taking myself and Roy Anderson - a younger Jawoyn tradi- known as the ‘sickness country’ and wamed that various tional landowner - up Coronation Hill to view the site of their unsanctioned or untoward activities within that area would exploration “to see what the fuss was all about’. cause an action of retribution causing anything from personal The initial purpose of my association with the Jawoyn injury or death to earthly disturbance in the form of massive people, now obscured by growing friendship and empathy, earthquakes and fire (vulcanism). was to provide a medium of communication - access to the Prime Minister’s office and to the general public - who were unaware of the information belonging to the BHP/’Conserva- Wrath of Bula tion Zone”/land title/Bula creation mythology equation. JAWOYN people belicve they have already seen the wrath of The statements of BHP in this matter have not only been Bula manifested in the widespread sickness, disease and death confusing and distorting - reflecting a corporate ambition caused through mining activities during the 1950s. unrelated to the needs of Jawoyn culture - but have also created During August of this year, National Parks and Wildlife a deep mistrust of their present and fulure intentions. Rangers reported great uneasiness among part-aboriginal BHP Gold claimed in an ABC bulletin (2.11.88) to still buffalo musterers working in the vicinity of Sleizbeck. Their have substantial support of the traditional owners and custodi- operations have reportedly been dogged by misadventure be- ans. Support for the BHP position is minimal and is only main- yond reasonable chance, which they also attribute to Bula. tained in licu of of other work opportunities being offered and Justasacollection of buildings, a garden, forest or lake and developed. attendant flora and fauna establish a certain note or resonance Several of the custodians and elders as well as younger which takes effect in the human body (in the form of a feeling people believe their future would be better served by a granting of well-being or uneasiness), so too does the prism-like struc- of title over their traditional lands so that they can develop an ture of the rectangular projection of gold, platinum, palladium educational and tourist facility to foster a better understanding and other minerals buried deep in the foundations of Corona- of their cultural values, as well as provide an income and sus- tion Hill. tainable way of life for their people. Local belief ascribes to these physically perceivable vibra- They are extremely concerned that the inclusion of Coro- tions a life-enhancing quality. To disturb these vibrations is to nation Hill and the ‘sickness country’ within the bounds of the disturb the harmony of life. 44 NEXUS New Times Eight - Autumn 1989 Kakadu KAKADU NATIONAL PAR K isaname euphemistically termed “Conservation Zone” and the con- that generally evokes images of a pristine envi- comitant mining activity will so erode their culture as to q rs preclude meaningful development of self-initiated activities. Peter Jadbula said that he and several other traditional ronment, a profusion of birds and other wildlife and world renowned Aboriginal cave paintings. custodians had not failed to notice that mining royalties to These mental images create a bias leading to a predeter- other tribal groups had often proved a disincentive to self- mined characterisation of this place. This characterisation of initiated activities. This leads to a loss of personal and collec- Kakadu hides a plethora of information which many people tive self-esteem. with vested interests are keen to leave unexplored lest public “If the white fellah leave us do our way first, make disquiet should disturb the uneasy consciences of the few. lawful what is ours, then maybe some mining not in ‘sick- A Pandora’s Box of inhumanities seethes along with the ness country’ good for us”, he said. teeming wildlife but gocs unnoticed by the casual tourist Mining within the area will directly sabotage their cultural wishing ‘to get away from it all’ fora holiday. base as it erodes the traditional spiritual beliefs that still bond I’ll confine this commentary to ‘Stage III’ of Kakadu and people and landscape. the proposed ‘Conservation Zone’. I recently spent three As servant to Peter and Nipper, I learnt much about their months in association with the Jawoyn traditional custodians daily travail caused by ‘worlds in collision’, The competing of Coronation Hill and the surrounding ‘sickness country’. information of Government, corporate and private sectors During that period I studied information from The Sacred Sites does notarise from the landscape they know. Worse, itappears Authority, the Northern Territory Environment Centre, BHP to trivialise the living information they understand that is Gold, the Federal Government, the NT Government and vari- backed by a 35,000 year history of continuing occupation. ous other organisations, as well as sharing some time living Up to four hundred cave paintings in the area around with the scnior traditional custodians, Peter Jadbula and Nip- Sleizbeck attest to their belief in a creator God, Bula, and his per Brown. two wives having created the land and all that is in it. BHP Gold, to their credit, allowed me to ‘see for mysclf’, Bula and his two wives ‘invested’ themselves in the land taking myself and Roy Anderson - a younger Jawoyn tradi- known as the ‘sickness country’ and wamed that various tional landowner - up Coronation Hill to view the site of their unsanctioned or untoward activities within that area would exploration “to see what the fuss was all about’. cause an action of retribution causing anything from personal The initial purpose of my association with the Jawoyn injury or death to earthly disturbance in the form of massive people, now obscured by growing friendship and empathy, earthquakes and fire (vulcanism). was to provide a medium of communication - access to the Prime Minister’s office and to the general public - who were unaware of the information belonging to the BHP/’Conserva- Wrath of Bu la tion Zone”/land title/Bula creation mythology equation. JAWOYN people belicve they have already seen the wrath of The statements of BHP in this matter have not only been Bula manifested in the widespread sickness, disease and death confusing and distorting - reflecting a corporate ambition caused through mining activities during the 1950s. unrelated to the needs of Jawoyn culture - but have also created During August of this year, National Parks and Wildlife a deep mistrust of their present and fulure intentions. Rangers reported great uneasiness among part-aboriginal BHP Gold claimed in an ABC bulletin (2.11.88) to still buffalo musterers working in the vicinity of Sleizbeck. Their have substantial support of the traditional owners and custodi- operations have reportedly been dogged by misadventure be- ans. Support for the BHP position is minimal and is only main- yond reasonable chance, which they also attribute to Bula. tained in licu of of other work opportunities being offered and Justasacollection of buildings, a garden, forest or lake and developed. attendant flora and fauna establish a certain note or resonance Several of the custodians and elders as well as younger which takes effect in the human body (in the form of a feeling people believe their future would be better served by a granting of well-being or uneasiness), so too does the prism-like struc- of title over their traditional lands so that they can develop an ture of the rectangular projection of gold, platinum, palladium educational and tourist facility to foster a better understanding and other minerals buried deep in the foundations of Corona- of their cultural values, as well as provide an income and sus- tion Hill. tainable way of life for their people. Local belief ascribes to these physically perceivable vibra- They are extremely concerned that the inclusion of Coro- tions a life-enhancing quality. To disturb these vibrations is to nation Hill and the ‘sickness country’ within the bounds of the disturb the harmony of life. JAWOYN people believe they have already seen the wrath of Bula manifested in the widespread sickness, disease and death caused through mining activities during the 1950s. During August of this year, National Parks and Wildlife Rangers reported great uneasiness among part-aboriginal buffalo musterers working in the vicinity of Sleizbeck. Their operations have reportedly been dogged by misadventure be- yond reasonable chance, which they also attribute to Bula. Justasacollection of buildings, a garden, forest or lake and attendant flora and fauna establish a certain note or resonance which takes effect in the human body (in the form of a feeling of well-being or uneasiness), so too does the prism-like struc- ture of the rectangular projection of gold, platinum, palladium and other minerals buried deep in the foundations of Corona- ata wera tion Hill. Local belief ascribes to these physically perceivable vibra- tions a life-enhancing quality. To disturb these vibrations is to disturb the harmony of life. NEXUS New Times Eight - Autumn 1989 Wrath of Bula