Rare aboriginal artefacts located

Kuku Yalanji treasure-trove

Paul Makin

Journalist

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(From left to right) Bennett Walker, Linc Walker and John Hartley with only part of their find IMAGE Paul Makin.

I have a ferocious appetite for history and the stories and culture of Native Americans and our own First Nations peoples.

Now that I live in Port Douglas, the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people and their stories occupy much of my history appetite. The Kuku Yalanji people’s ancestry dates back 50,000 years or more. They loved their rainforest land and lived in complete harmony with it. So, when I heard the news that boxes and boxes of Kuku Yalanji artefacts have been located, it excited me as much as the ones who made the rare find.

So where were they found? In a local meeting place for their mob? Deep in the Daintree Rainforest? In a hidden cave where only Indiana Jones could find them? NO! in the basement of the local Shire Hall in Mossman.

Stone artefacts that are believed to be thousands of years old IMAGE Paul Makin.

Gathering dust

They’ve been there for twenty years or even longer “It’s kind of like a dungeon down there, dark and dingy and there they were, all gathering dust,” said John Hartley. John was part of a team including Bennett and Linc Walker who eventually were given the nod to get these valuable artefacts back in the possession of their rightful owners. Douglas Shire Council were given a directive by the State government to pass the artefacts on to the Jabalbina Aboriginal Corporation “Stone artefacts include cutting tools and grinding stones to hunt and make food, axe heads, hammers, they’re all there,” said a very happy Bennett Walker.

It’s believed these stone artefacts are thousands of years old “My dad used to talk to me about them and told me he worked for the cane farmer who collected all these items way back, but it wasn’t until two years ago we began the process of going through Council to have them returned after they were discovered in the bowels of the Mossman Shire Hall,” said Bennett. “They might be stone but to us their diamonds,” said John Hartley. Linc Walker told Newsport this find is quote “massive “and “a real recognition of our ties to this area, the history held in these artefacts show how our people are connected to country”.

Artifacts missing

While these precious items are an exciting find, some of the artefacts that Bennett Walker remembers seeing as a youngster have vanished “These were things like axe heads and others but of a different material, a shiny material, almost like glass, you couldn’t miss them” he said. Locating them is now a high priority. “They are unique and possibly stored away somewhere in the Shire, but we need to find them” said Linc Walker.

All the pieces recovered will eventually be absolute dated by archaeologists. Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr told Newsport this is a very positive story “Ultimately it was the authorised cultural body Jabalbina who made the decision to get them back to representatives of the Kuku Yalanji people and hopefully we’ll see many items displayed in the future” he said.

For the time being Christmas 2022 brought the best presents the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people could ever receive.

An axe from Newell Beach (Nulu) IMAGE Paul Makin.
A hammer head from Mossman, note the groove where material was wrapped around to attach it to a handle IMAGE Paul Makin.
A nutcracker from Mossman, imagine how many years it would take to cause those indentations IMAGE Paul Makin.
A grooved axe from Cooya Beach (Kuyu Kuyu) IMAGE Paul Makin.
A stone pestle from Mossman used with a mortar to grind or mash IMAGE Paul Makin.
A chisel from Mossman IMAGE Paul Makin.

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