Nexus - 0108 - New Times Magazine-pages

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Koompartoo Koompartoo BHP Gold employees acknowledge the highly unusual configuration of finely dispersed gold woven into this area. \ Jabiru Airstrip If weare to believe the mythology as depicted in the SS KAKADU NATIONAL PARK cave paintings, then BHP will be mining Bula’s con- SS = gealed blood - which the Jawoyn people believe is 4 4 likely to set a planetary cataclysm in train. SL, N DJALKMARA Mining within the Bula area is, to the Jawoyn, SS | ony BILLABONG similar to the situation of a Christian compelled to Spillway watch the complete and systematic destruction of all or Christian works, including the deliberate testing of the Waste rock dump ten commandments (as if they had no backing in human Retention Pond 4 law) and then awaiting God’s judgement. Retention Pond 2 | To give such testing the implicit and explicit au- Retention Pond 3 thority of the State is unthinkable, yet this will occur if the Federal Government paves the way for BHP Gold [23] Restricted Release Zone to proceed to the stage of exploitation. According to Barry Lopez of Arctic Dreams, the most philosophically troubling issue of our incursion in the New World grows out of our definition of wealth - the methods of its acquisition and our perception of Q what sort of riches can actually be owned and trans- je) ferred, scale According to Amos Ropoport, an Australian archi- tect who has studied various Aboriginal tribal groups, the stories unfold against the local landscape and give expression to the enduring relationships of life. They are as critical for these people as food and water. prejudice is there a possibility that intelligence will prevail. Tam given to understand that Jim Green, BHP’s Aborigi- Mythi c Landscape nal Liason Officer and several other on-site employees may . have privately agreed that BHP activities are seriously affect- THE MYTHICLANDSCAPE is not the natural landscape but ing the lives and culture of the Jawoyn people and are inviting the mythic and natural landscapes overlap at certain visible social and cultural breakdown. points in the land. They are not something to be politically On the Second of November last year, six members of the negotiated, for they are fixed in living mythology. They are not Jawoyn Association working party (including senior custodi- susceptible to adjustment. ans) met with Bob Hawke and Ministers Hand, Kerrin, Cooke Rapoport concluded that the European conditioned mind and Richardson expressing united opposition to any plan of may completely misunderstand the nature of the landscape further mining exploration at Coronation Hill, the ‘El Sherana’ because of an inherent cultural blinkering. site, or elsewhere within the ‘sickness country’. According to Kenneth Maddock of Macquarie University BHP recently requested permission to explore on their El (Oceania Volume 58 No.4, 6/88) the Jawoyn traditional cus- Sherana lease - which also lies within the ‘sickness country’ - todians’ failure to maintain the Bula site for the Jawoyn people and have continued to play ostrich in their Public Environ- asa whole and for the surrounding tribes may be punishable by mental Report, maintaining their claim of Jawoyn support. death (note the situation of the Chairman of the Northern Considering the deliberate misrepresentations of BHP Lands Council, Mr Yunipingu - see NEXUS #7). Gold’s management concerning the extent of Jawoyn support To force such a situation may leave Bob Hawke and BHP for their activities and the apparent contempt for their culture, Management criminally liable, for Australian Law in no way mythology and future aspirations, I believe it would be unwise voids Aboriginal Lore and its legal implementation. to pursue the trivial and profane at the cost of the sacred. However, such corporate or private grievances pale into Our choice: to heed a 35,000 year old apocalyptic proph- insignificance when compared to the loss of the Jawoyn ecy - andensure the longevity of the Jawoyn culture - or ignore culture to the rest of humanity, who may not have glimpsed its the implications of their prophecy for economic gain. Regard- personal importance within the shared human psyche. less of whether this would expose humanity to the risk of earth- Until we become familiar and at one with the culture we quakes and ‘fire’ (the ultimate indication of wrongful relation- can’t afford to proceed, for their information and intelligence ship to and with the ‘sickness country’), mining activity here may be critical to our survival, yet remain unseen by most can easily destroy the cultural integrity of a people. because of cultural blinkering. Only when we abandon cultural - G D I nnes Vow fianes Hight = svutusor 19s9 BHP Gold employees acknowledge the highly unusual configuration of finely dispersed gold woven into this area. If weare to believe the mythology as depicted in the cave paintings, then BHP will be mining Bula’s con- gealed blood - which the Jawoyn people believe is likely to set a planetary cataclysm in train. Mining within the Bula area is, to the Jawoyn, similar to the situation of a Christian compelled to watch the complete and systematic destruction of all Christian works, including the deliberate testing of the ten commandments (as if they had no backing in human law) and then awaiting God’s judgement. To give such testing the implicit and explicit au- thority of the State is unthinkable, yet this will occur if the Federal Government paves the way for BHP Gold to proceed to the stage of exploitation. According to Barry Lopez of Arctic Dreams, the most philosophically troubling issue of our incursion in the New World grows out of our definition of wealth - the methods of its acquisition and our perception of what sort of riches can actually be owned and trans- ferred, RANGER URANIUM MINE, KAKADU NATIONAL PARK DJALKMARA BILLABONG Waste rock dump Retention Pond 4 Retention Pond 2 | Retention Pond 3 (0) 500 1000m \ ——=—— scale According to Amos Ropoport, an Australian archi- tect who has studied various Aboriginal tribal groups, the stories unfold against the local landscape and give expression to the enduring relationships of life. They are as critical for these people as food and water. prejudice is there a possibility that intelligence will prevail. Tam given to understand that Jim Green, BHP’s Aborigi- nal Liason Officer and several other on-site employees may have privately agreed that BHP activities are seriously affect- ing the lives and culture of the Jawoyn people and are inviting social and cultural breakdown. On the Second of November last year, six members of the Jawoyn Association working party (including senior custodi- ans) met with Bob Hawke and Ministers Hand, Kerrin, Cooke and Richardson expressing united opposition to any plan of further mining exploration at Coronation Hill, the ‘El Sherana’ site, or elsewhere within the ‘sickness country’. BHP recently requested permission to explore on their El Sherana lease - which also lies within the ‘sickness country’ - and have continued to play ostrich in their Public Environ- mental Report, maintaining their claim of Jawoyn support. Considering the deliberate misrepresentations of BHP Gold’s management concerning the extent of Jawoyn support for their activities and the apparent contempt for their culture, mythology and future aspirations, I believe it would be unwise to pursue the trivial and profane at the cost of the sacred. Our choice: to heed a 35,000 year old apocalyptic proph- ecy - andensure the longevity of the Jawoyn culture - or ignore the implications of their prophecy for economic gain. Regard- less of whether this would expose humanity to the risk of earth- quakes and ‘fire’ (the ultimate indication of wrongful relation- ship to and with the ‘sickness country’), mining activity here can easily destroy the cultural integrity of a people. -G.D. Innes THE MYTHICLANDSCAPE is not the natural landscape but the mythic and natural landscapes overlap at certain visible points in the land. They are not something to be politically negotiated, for they are fixed in living mythology. They are not susceptible to adjustment. Rapoport concluded that the European conditioned mind may completely misunderstand the nature of the landscape because of an inherent cultural blinkering. According to Kenneth Maddock of Macquarie University (Oceania Volume 58 No.4, 6/88) the Jawoyn traditional cus- todians’ failure to maintain the Bula site for the Jawoyn people asa wholeand for the surrounding tribes may be punishable by death (note the situation of the Chairman of the Northern Lands Council, Mr Yunipingu - see NEXUS #7). To force such a situation may leave Bob Hawke and BHP Management criminally liable, for Australian Law in no way voids Aboriginal Lore and its legal implementation. However, such corporate or private grievances pale into insignificance when compared to the loss of the Jawoyn culture to the rest of humanity, who may not have glimpsed its personal importance within the shared human psyche. Until we become familiar and at one with the culture we can’t afford to proceed, for their information and intelligence may be critical to our survival, yet remain unseen by most because of cultural blinkering. Only when we abandon cultural bushi 29Sy ESC Mythic Landscape