Restoring traditional Ngunnawal heritage sites
The Dhawura Ngunnawal Caring for Country Committee would like to acknowledge the work of ACT Government in their engagement with the committee during the time of the Orroral Valley fire. The committee appreciates the work that was undertaken to include Ngunnawal people in the decision making processes to protect Ngunnawal cultural sites and objects and being able to be part of the ongoing fire recovery process.
The committee would also like to extend our thanks for the opportunity that was provided to the committee and the United Ngunnawal Elders Council to visit Namadgi National Park post fire to see the damage and to visit one of our significant cultural sites to begin the healing process.
The ongoing partnership between the ACT Government and the Ngunnawal people has great value to the Ngunnawal people and the committee would like to acknowledge the work that has been done to recognise and support the cultural rights of the Ngunnawal people in the management of Country.
Ngunnawal Cultural Heritage Recovery Response
Aboriginal cultural values are found in places and objects in Namadgi National Park and Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. These include:
- ceremonial sites
- rock art
- cultural trees
- grinding grooves
- artefact scatters.
The fire-affected area is home to:
- 700 known archaeological sites
- 6 rock art sites
- 12 stone arrangements
- several timber sites.
There are likely many more unrecorded Aboriginal heritage sites because the park hasn't been fully assessed.
Initial response
Timber sites, like scar trees, are very vulnerable to fire. Fire can also damage rock art and stone arrangement sites. Thanks to our fire crews, many key Ngunnawal heritage sites were protected from the worst impacts. They used several fire management techniques, including:
- making containment lines around priority sites
- slashing
- backburning
- removing fuel from around the Yankee Hat rock art site.
Ongoing efforts
The following groups will help to assess known heritage sites and containment lines around Namadgi:
- heritage experts
- archaeologists
- the Ngunnawal community.
These assessments will guide how to restore and manage these sites long-term.