Aboriginal native title groups say Rio Tinto’s executive reshuffle is a sign the company is in “PR mode” and the new appointments won’t lead to meaningful change in the miner’s dealings with traditional owners. Investors also remain sceptical as to whether Rio has committed to the cultural change needed after it destroyed 46,000-year-old rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara. They are flagging a confrontation with management at the.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains images and names of deceased people.
In May 2020, the international mining giant Rio Tinto made a calculated and informed decision to drill 382 blast holes in an area of its Brockman 4 mining lease that encompassed the ancient rock shelter formations at Juukan Gorge in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.
The Puutu Kunti Kurrama Pinikura people, who are the traditional owners of that land, lost their material connection to sacred sites of ceremonial, clan and family life, the basis for their political and social organisation. The Australian people lost a significant chunk of their national estate. For this hefty price we all paid, Rio Tinto lawfully gained access to $135 million dollars of high-grade iron ore.
Rainfall in a nutshell
P. spiralis trees on the Magela Creek floodplain near Madjedbebe, with an inset displaying the cephalium. Credit Florin et al.
Across the world, it’s what humans and other organisms have left behind that’s advanced our understanding of the Earth’s past. From pyramids to garbage piles, such leavings also preserve the opportunity to understand human history at the time these things were made or discarded.
When it comes to continuous Earth history, it doesn’t get much better than a 65,000-year-old rainfall record. That’s what archaeologists are generating from the ancient food scraps found at Australia’s earliest-known site of human occupation, in the Northern Territory.
Map of APY Lands translated to empower First Nations people, giving them greater voice
WedWednesday 27
A Pitjantjatjara language geological map of the APY Lands, showing underground waterways.
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A geological map of remote Aboriginal lands in South Australia has been translated into Pitjantjatjara to increase communication and empower First Nations people.
Key points:
Iwiri Aboriginal Corporation has translated the information into the Pitjantjatjara language
Iwiri Aboriginal Corporation s Sam Osborne said it would help empower Aboriginal people
The map shows a large palaeovalley – an ancient, buried river – underneath the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands and was translated to create better communication with the South Australian Government and help people living on the lands to know more about where they live.
Fruit of the Anyakngarra, also known as pandanus. The soft base is made into a drink and their nuts are an excellent source of fat and protein. 26 January 2021 Archaeologists are generating a 65,000-year-old rainfall record from ancient food scraps found at Australia’s earliest-known site of human occupation. University of Queensland researcher Dr Anna Florin said the research was giving a glimpse into the Kakadu region’s environment from the time when people first entered the continent from the north. “Using the scraps from meals eaten tens of thousands of years ago, we can tell a localised story of climate change and explore its effects on communities living in the Kakadu region through time,” said Dr Florin, who also works with ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage .