Recent article in the Courier Mail (Wollumbin scientist questions sacred nature of mountain, 18/12/2022) raises a question as to whether there are any sacred sites on the Mountain. The massif itself features in various mythologies but it seems it's possible that there are no actual sites on the mountain itself. This lines up with Ngarakwaal stories about the mountain being an increase site for brush turkeys where no hunting, and hence no visitation took place. Early ascents (eg Cudgen Guilfoyle 1871) make no mention of pre-existing trails to the summit which would have been present if the summit area was used as a male initiation site as recently claimed.
"A scientist who spent years studying Mount Warning Wollumbin has questioned just how “sacred” the site is after a committee recommended closing it to the public forever. Dr Peter Solomon wrote a thesis for the University of Queensland on his findings from years of study during the 1950s, focusing mostly on the area’s unique geological formations, but said he found no evidence of sacred sites."
“During my studies I was looking for sacred sites and I came to the conclusion that there were none around. I certainly don’t think there is enough evidence that it should be closed off to everybody because of the presence of any sacred sites.”
This gels with information about Aboriginal sites in the 1985 management plan for the Park:
"There are no Aboriginal sites recorded in Mount Warning National Park although Mount Warning itself is considered by aborigines to be of great significance."
On page 58 the authors state: "Very little is known of the occurrence of Aboriginal sites in Mount Warning National Park. The only sites recorded by the service is the Mountain itself, which is recognised as a site of significance for the Aboriginal community. There is in addition, no evidence to suggest that many, if any sites will be discovered in the future."
The 1985 Management plan also indicates (page 7) that "From 1861 to 1875 the social and economic structure of Aboriginal Society collapsed, and the last recorded booral ceremony took place in the upper Tweed in 1875. This rapid cultural decline emphasises the devastating impact of farming upon the Aboriginal communities of the Tweed Valley and upon the natural ecosystems on which they depended. The ritual life is one of the strongest and most enduring elements of any society, yet that of the Tweed Valley Aborigines survived barely 15 years after contact with European farmers."
The above is presumably based on anthropological studies undertaken by NPWS prior to 1985. These included detailed interviews with Aboriginal Elders such as Millie Boyd by Howard Creamer.
Serious questions must be asked about the credibility of information NPWS is now relying on to justify closure of the Park to the public. With the collapse of traditional Aboriginal culture in the Tweed area in late 19th century how can NPWS be confident that any of the information promulgated by recently formed Aboriginal Groups such as the Wollumbin Consultative Group is reliable?
The simple answer is that it can't!
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