The decision by the Hawke government on June 17 not to allow
mining at Coronation Hill in Kakadu National Park is a victory
for the traditional owners, the Jawoyn, and for the conservation
of the region. DEBRA WIRTH spoke to the executive officer for the
Jawoyn people, JOHN AH KIT, about this victory and what land
rights mean for his people.
Question: What is the significance of Coronation Hill for the
Jawoyn people?
Guratba, as we call it, which is known to non-Aboriginal people
as Coronation Hill, is a sacred site of very big importance to
the Jawoyn people.
It is connected to the major site in the Sickness Country called
Big Sunday, or Nilaynejarrang. Big Sunday is the major Bula site
which is connected to Guratba, and other sites within the
Sickness Country. The Jawoyn believe that Bula, the creator,
rests and is lying dormant under the Sickness Country and is sort
of wired up to these sites, so that if one site is destroyed then
it has a chain reaction that will destroy the other sites within
the Sickness Country.
There are many Aboriginal people in the surrounding areas,
throughout Arnhem Land, who have ceremonial connections with
Bula, and it's very important that the Jawoyn people protect Bula
and ensure that Bula is not disturbed and therefore there is no
mining in that part of the Sickness Country whatsoever, because
it is so integral to the living culture of the Jawoyn Aboriginal
people.
Question: Coronation Hill has been mined for uranium in the
past.
A part of Coronation Hill was mined in the '50s, but you must
understand that Aboriginal people were not recognised in this
country until the 1967 referendum.
The Department of Native Affairs had a policy of getting
Aboriginal people off their traditional lands and putting them
into compounds and reserves and communities of that nature,
because it was seen by the government of those days that these
``nomadic savages'' shouldn't be left to wander around aimlessly
on their country, that they should be educated like the white man
and be introduced into the Western culture.
Nobody had even thought of recognising Aboriginal culture and
Aboriginal traditional owners and senior custodians and therefore
nobody wanted to consult with them on whether there was sacred
sites in that country and whether they could allow mining to go
ahead or not - not only in the Sickness Country but throughout
Australia.
Question: Has the site recovered from the mining conducted in
the 1950s, or are the effects still apparent?
There is a small hole in the hill, which has an effect on the
hill, but one must also understand that the Jawoyn were very
concerned when the mining had taken place in the '50s. There was
an epidemic of whooping cough that struck the Aboriginal people
and also some miners who died.
The Jawoyn attribute those deaths to the disturbance of Bula
during the 1950s. They attribute the loss of approximately 130
Jawoyn people to the mining which was disturbing Bula.
Question: Are the Jawoyn opposed to mining in general?
We are not opposed to mining per se. We have an agreement with
two companies who are exploring for diamonds on Jawoyn
traditional land. We are not anti-development. We want to
contribute to the economy of the Northern Territory and we show
that.
As an example, we have some land which is being leased back to
the Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory. The Jawoyn
did not have to consider that track, we could have asked the
Commonwealth ANPWF [Australian National Parks and Wildlife
Service] to look after their park but chose not to. They have
concessionaires in the gorge in which people operate boat tours.
We have a buffalo domestication project which is a viable one. We
have a tourism enterprise which is being established.
So we're not anti-development, and we're not anti-mining, and we
like to discuss with anyone what projects they would like to do
on Aboriginal land.
The Jawoyn are not opposed to any development on their
traditional land as long as they're involved in the process of
consultation. The Jawoyn reserve the right to disagree or refuse
projects that they believe aren't sound.
Question: Does the current land rights legislation give
Aboriginal people the right to veto mining on their land?
In the Northern Territory there is an act called the Northern
Territory Land Rights Act; it's not a national land rights act,
but it does give the Aboriginal traditional owners a veto over
mining.
We would like to see the same land rights act applied nationally,
if not a better form of land rights, so that there is proper
recognition by the Australian government of Aboriginal people's
sovereign ownership of this country.
More importantly, Aboriginal people need to develop viable
business enterprises on their traditional land so that they can
provide for themselves. We can do it if we're given the
opportunity through national land rights legislation. We are sick
and tired of going to governments and asking for money.
Question: Do you think the current decision by the federal
government on mining at Coronation Hill will stand, or do you
think it will come up again in the future and you will have to
fight that battle again?
It would be a very game government, such as the conservatives if
they are in power after the next election, to overturn the
decision that has been taken by Bob Hawke and cabinet.
The regulations for the Conservation Zone are to put it into
Kakadu National Park Stage 3. Stage 1 and Stage 2 of Kakadu
National Park, along with Stage 3 will be nominated - renominated
in the case of Stages 1 and 2 - plus the nomination for Stage 3
will go to the World Heritage organisation internationally. We
believe that 80% of Australian people, black and white, will then
disallow any mining of a national park.
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Reprinted from Green Left, weekly progressive newspaper. May
be reproduced with acknowledgment but without charge by
movement publications and organisations.