Petroglyphs go home 60 years after removal

SIXTY years ago, ancient Tasmanian Aboriginal petroglyphs were cut out of rock near Marrawah, throw non the back of a flatbed truck and roughly transported from the far North-West to be displayed at museums in Hobart and Launceston.

Pieces of the rock, which was a record of thousands of years of Aboriginal history, broke off as the truck rumbled along.

Experts say the petroglyphs show major events such as the sighting of Halley’s comet, the death of great Aboriginal warriors, where village communities were, and the tracks that carried people between them.

Now, after an almost 40year fight by Aboriginal leaders, the petroglyphs are going home.

Tasmania’ s Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Roger Jaensch signed the permits this week, giving cause for celebration in the Aboriginal community.

“A group of Aboriginal people in Hobart, part of the then Tasmanian Aboriginal Land Council, tried their heart out to get the petroglyphs returned but hit a brick wall ,” Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania chairman Michael Mansell said.

“But there has been a cultural shift and both the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery have been very supportive of the hand-back.”

Mr Mansell said it was now time to change the Aboriginal Heritage Act.

“This – the history of the taking of the rock carving sand their hard-fought return – is a practical examination of the absurdity of current legislation under which Aboriginal artefacts are so easily taken but the arduous process involved in getting that history back,” Mr Mansell said.

“The current Act still leaves Aboriginal history and heritage the property of the Crown, ”he said.

“The return of the petroglyph sis a good opportunity to have a broader discussion and make Aboriginal people the true custodians of their history.”

Mr Jaensch said it was now nationally accepted that materials recognised as spiritually and culturally important, or acquired in an unethical way, should be returned to their rightful owners. “On this basis, arrangements for the physical return of the petroglyphs to their final resting place will be made through agreements between TMAG and QVMAG and the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania, as the titleholder of the Preminghana site on behalf of all Aboriginal people in Tasmania,” Mr Jaensch said.

The Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania will meet with the Aboriginal community in Hobart next month to discuss the historic hand-back.

“I can see no reason why the petroglyphs would not be returned by February next year ,” Mr Jaensch said.

“We need to find out which bits they have and get advice on how to safely transport them back to where they belong.”