A historical Aboriginal site has been destroyed in an instant as a mining company expanded its mine in search of more iron ore.
A mining company called Rio Tinto has come under scrutiny after deciding to expand its iron ore mine across an allegedly 46,000-year-old heritage site in Western Australia.
While the company received a permit to take over the land in the Pilbara region some seven years ago, the indigenous leaders have been arguing that the site is of grave importance to the natives.
“Our people are deeply troubled and saddened by the destruction of these rock shelters and are grieving the loss of connection to our ancestors as well as our land,” Puutu Kunti Kurrama Land Committee’s John Ashburton expressed.
“Losing these rock shelters is a devastating blow to the PKK traditional owners. We recognize that Rio Tinto has complied with its legal obligations, but we are gravely concerned at the inflexibility of the regulatory system.”
As the opposition has argued, the company was only able to secure the necessary expansion permits due to outdated, several-decades-old laws that favor mining companies.
According to the reports, the destroyed site consisted of caves that had been occupied for tens of thousands of years and represented a link between the ancestors and the modern-day natives.
“It’s one of the most sacred sites in the Pilbara region … we wanted to have that area protected,” Burchall Hayes, the PKK director, said in an interview with The Guardian.
“It is precious to have something like that plaited hair, found on our country, and then have further testing link it back to the Kurrama people. It’s something to be proud of, but it’s also sad. Its resting place for 4,000 years is no longer there.”
Following a backlash, Rio Tinto released a statement in which they defended their actions saying they have the necessary consent to go through with their operations in the area.
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Replaced!