Wilgie Mia, known by the Wajarri Traditional Owners as Thuwarri Thaa (the place of red ocher), lies in the Weld Ranges of Australia. It is the largest and deepest underground Aboriginal ocher mine in Australia and the world’s oldest continuing mining operation.
Its’ rich red ochre was first extracted more than 30,000 years ago and is still used today in Aboriginal Law, art, ceremony and healing practices throughout the Western Desert and its fringes.
Wilgie Mia is characterized by large open-cut pits, excavated caverns and underground galleries that follow ocher seams in red, yellow, and green. But it was the red ocher that was most prized by the Wajarri people.
The lustrous sheen and the ‘glow in the dark’ properties of this particular ocher, made it among the most sought-after ocher in the country, used for thousands of years in ceremonies, rock art, and for trade.
The ocher from Wilgie Mia formed part of the most extensive pre-contact ocher trade network recorded in Australia.
The ocher would be delivered on foot to the border of a neighboring tribe where it would be passed on from one territory to another, reaching as far afield as 1,600 kilometers (994.19 mi) away.
For those seeking ocher, a message stick was marked and passed on ahead of traveling men, letting people ahead of them know they were coming seeking red ocher from the Weld Range. Spears, boomerangs, and kangaroos were given as payment.
According to the Dreamtime stories of the Wajarri people, Wilgia Mia was created when Marlu, a red kangaroo, was speared. Marlu’s blood was believed to have made the red ocher, his liver the yellow ocher and his gall the green ocher.
The National Heritage Register on which Wilgie Mia was listed in 2011, describes the mine as offering outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement during the last three thousand years.
In 1917, Wilgie Mia and 10 500 acres (4249.19 hectares) of surrounding country was proclaimed an Aboriginal Reserve (Aborigines Act 1905).
A special reserve at the mine itself was established over one acre ( 0.404 ha) and to a depth of 100 feet (30.48 m) below the surface.
However, in the mid twentieth century, commercial miners recognized the value of the ocher at Wilgie Mia, and the boundary of the reserve was changed by proclamation.
It was mined commercially for the first time in 1944 by J.C Zadow and J.G Cassidy and in 1959, the mining permit was transferred to the Universal Milling Company.
In 1969 the Department of Native Affairs recommended that the Universal Milling Companies license be revoked because of the illegal use of explosives at Wilgie Mia and its non-compliance with heritage protection requirements.
Following extensive lobbying from the Aboriginal community, in 1973, Wilgie Mia was declared a protected area under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 and is now classified as a restricted site.
Nevertheless, ocher continues to be extract without the permission of the Traditional Owners, and unauthorized visits occur due to encouragement from tourism websites.
Despite the commercial exploitation of Wilgie Mia, initiated Aboriginal men continue to mine there for red ocher to use in Law, ceremony, healing and art, and the ocher is still traded to neighboring Aboriginal communities for use in ceremonies.
The richness of Dreamtime stories and protective rituals of Wilgie Mia are not matched by any other major Aboriginal ocher mine in Australia.
The stories associated with the site and its religious significance, remain an important part of Indigenous tradition to this day, offering outstanding heritage value to Australia for its importance as part of a continuing Indigenous tradition.
Ancient Origins / ABC Flash Point News 2024.
Because the continent of Australia became isolated after some time, the Aboriginal culture is pure and unconditional real I guess, at the same time mining is one of Australia’s pass time, while earning some money as well.