| Rocking the Pilbara
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 By any number of yardsticks, 2,500 million years ago is quite some time ago. It was around this time that fine-grained sediment was accumulating on the sea floor to form what we now know as Karijini National Park in the Hamersley Range. Over millions of subsequent years, erosion has sculpted the distinct geological formations that make up the unique ochre hued Pilbara landscape we see today. A tortuous landscape that conceals some of the most significant ancient rock art galleries in Australia.So in this context, 20,000 years is actually quite recent in a country that celebrates European settlement at less than 300 years ago.It is almost incomprehensible that the original inhabitants lived off this ancient land a mere 20,000 years ago. Yet archaeological dating of rock art and artefacts indicates that Aborigines have inhabited the Pilbara region for at least this long. When one Pilbara indigenous artist was asked by a European art lover how long they had 'been in Australia', the response was an incomprehensible 'since the land was soft'. The Burrup Peninsula, or Murujugga (meaning hip bone sticking out) as the traditional owners call it, is recognised as having significant ecological and archaeological heritage. It contains one of the world's largest collections of petroglyphs, or ancient rock carvings. Numbers vary as to the exact number of rock carvings, as many have been destroyed or relocated as the resource industry moved in during the 1960's, but it appears to be in the tens of thousands. Getting the balance right between the new industry and the ancient heritage is an ongoing challenge facing these industrial giants, and those supporting the traditional owners, the Yapurarra tribe.  Getting the Balance RightIn 2002 at a public rally at Hearson's Cove on the Burrup, Wilfred Hicks spoke on behalf of the people from the Wong-Goo-Tt-Oo Group, a group of families traditional to the coastal plains of the Pilbara, including the Burrup. Hicks acknowledged the importance of development in the area to all Australians, black and white 'in providing jobs, education and prospects for our young people' and emphasised encouragement towards the traditional owners' development. However Hicks noted that development must be planned carefully in such a way as to not 'destroy our quality of life. We have a special duty also for this country, as the holders of its spiritual energies'. It is the traditional peoples' duty to protect and pass on this heritage of art and culture to their own successors. In this same year Murujugga was listed on the National Trusts Endangered Places Register in light of the potential threats to the heritage value on the Burrup. After much discussion and community consultation, in July 2007, Woodside signed a Conservation Agreement with the Australian Government to protect the National Heritage values of the entire Dampier Archipelago and has since established the Woodside Rock Art Foundation.
There are many opportunities for visitors to explore these ancient lands of the Burrup and to view its scattered rock art galleries. Take the Woodside Rd out along the Burrup to begin your quest. On the Hearson's Cove Rd, two poles on the left indicate a track to the right, marking the Deep Gorge turnoff. The first thing I noticed, walking the short distance from the car park to the gorge, was the soundlessness. Having passed a large ammonia factory just two kilometres away, I was unprepared for such hushed natural beauty. The silence here was palpable. As I neared the gorge, the sound of gently running water replaced the silence, as the clear water burbled over the rocks beneath the magnificently smooth white trunks of eucalypts. Looking up into the towering scree slopes on either side of the stream, I could see scores of engravings carved into the shattered pre-historic rocks. I took a few more steps and looked up again.
King Bay is home to another significant rock art site. Although lacking the natural beauty of Deep Gorge, there is a significant collection of engravings here. From the rough unmarked track I looked skyward into the mass of ochre coloured basalt. Soon my eyes adjusted to the task as I searched for the distinct lighter coloured lines that marked the ancient engravings. The most beautiful work here is a pair of birds scratching in the dirt, but there was also human figures, spears, turtles and dugongs. Viewing rock art in its natural surroundings is nothing like visiting a structured gallery. There are no signposts to indicate where to find the art, and no plaques describing what to look for. The only way to absorb it all is to stand still and allow the eyes to linger over the rock. Todays Pilbara artists have benefited from the focus on the enormous resource sector, according to Pilbara Art Gallery director Susan Shirtliff. Susan noted that "The art produced by Aboriginal artists of the region have been developed without the influence of tourism and other influences. As a result the 'visual voice' of the people is simultaneously contemporary and speaks in a unique voice of the Pilbara."
While some of the artists who travelled to Italy have temporarily gone to ground after enthusiastically embracing the culture of Florence, others have drawn inspiration from their overseas experience. According to Susan Shirtliff, there is a vibrancy and confidence in the colours, structure and an effortless meld of ancient culture with contemporary themes being produced. Keep an eye out for Kathryn Nangala Njamme, Clifton Mack, Murinba, Loreen Samson and Simon Hubert. For todays Pilbara artists their bright future is in their own talented hands. | ||||||||
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Everywhere I looked I saw engravings carefully pecked into the rock. Armed with a basic guide to rock art I was able to identify many figures. Predominant were kangaroos and wallabies, (or macropods according to my guide), but I also saw footprints in the form of arrow groupings, marine creatures and human figures. Absorbing the enormous gallery of carvings, and trying to get my head around the incomprehensible age of the art I was seeing, I was reminded of Wilfred Hicks words: 'The spiritual force is alive in the thousands of rock engravings that surround you here. We can hear and see this energy when we are among them. It ties us to the land and the land to us.' As I rested on a large shady rock beside the stream, I closed my eyes, and felt I could absorb some of this spiritual energy.
The gallery has established that there is great demand for work produced by the Pilbara artists, with local, national and international exhibitions. In February 2006 a group of six artists, at the invitation of the city fathers of Florence, undertook the long journey to this spiritual home and birthplace of western art, to showcase the art and culture of the Pilbara. This exhibition, Antica Terra Pulsante (roughly translated means "ancient land still pulsing"), aimed to increase the demand for artwork produced in the Pilbara. One outcome of the exhibition was to draw attention to the defiantly primordial age of the land, the continuos habitation of this area by Aboriginal people, and the fact that, even in 2006, the culture of the region remains relevant, creative and vibrant.        |
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