Wilgie Mia

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Wilgie Mia is a historically significant ocher mining area, located approximately 650 km northeast of Perth and 60 km northwest of Cue in Western Australia , Australia . The mine in the Weld Bergland, called Wilgie Mia by the Aborigines, is their largest and most important prehistoric mine.

Ocher colors

In the course of history, 19,600 m³ of ocher were extracted in the Wilgie Mia mine , which corresponds to a weight of 40,000 t. There are three mining sites with red ( Wilgie Mia ), yellow ( Little Wilgie Mia ) and green ocher ( Marlu Resting Place ). The mining area is the only Australian occurrence in which ocher occurs in different colors.

Dismantling

The mine lies on the flank of a hill and is 15 to 30 m wide and up to 20 m deep. Historical tools were found in the mine. For the dismantling, hammers and wedges, supports and armor were used and the stop and pillar method was used, which made it possible to dismantle at different levels at the same time. Mining took place in an open mine , but there are also caves and underground galleries in which the Aborigines followed the ocher deposits.

Up to a depth of 6 m it is assumed that these minerals were mined many thousands of years ago, but this has not yet been scientifically proven. The use of the ocher deposit has been proven to have been dated for 1000 years using a wooden tool found in the mine. Due to the volume mined, it is highly likely that this is the oldest continuous mining operation in the world and that it could have been in operation for 40,000 years. Ocher from this occurrence was found in the Western Desert and northern Queensland . The Aborigines kept the mine going until the 1930s, when they were driven out when the white ocher wanted to mine.

The red ocher deposit arose in the Tertiary in geological and chemical processes of change from ferrous quartzites and sediments . In these processes, the accumulation of hematite (Fe 2 O 3 ) and jaspilite was created, which was embedded in the existing clay as microscopic particles (> 80 mesh (200 µm)).

In the immediate vicinity of the historic mining area there is a high-quality iron deposit with a content of around 65%, which is mined by an Australian company, Atlas Iron Limited , who operate the mining in consultation with the local Wajarri Aborigines.

Culture and myth

Ocher has been used as a color by the Aborigines for thousands of years in rock painting and body painting and is of great cultural importance. In the myths of the Aborigines, the red ocher was created in the dream time . The Mondongs fought as creatures with a giant kangaroo , the Marlu , which was killed with a spear. The blood that leaked out stained the ground and turned red, the liver yellow and the bile green ocher. The ocher deposit, which is significant for the Aborigines, is guarded by four beings, the mundongs. The mining area was only accessible to men and certain rituals had to be observed. Steinstapel marked the boundaries of the mining area and certain areas were not allowed to enter by uninitiated young men. The rituals held were also intended to prevent injuries or deaths during the mining, for example the mining Aborigines were only allowed to leave their mining sites backwards. The red ocher from Wilgie Mia is used by the Aborigines to this day in rules, art, ceremonies and healing practices in the Western Desert.

Due to its historical importance, Wilkie Mia was entered in the Australian National Heritage List in February 2011 with an area of ​​2000 ha .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. environment.gov.au ( Memento of the original from June 3, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 59 kB): Wilgie Mia Aboriginal Ocher Mine , in English, accessed on October 25, 2011 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.environment.gov.au
  2. a b theaustralian.com.au : Grahma Lloyd: Wilgie Mia mine site will test China's iron will , from January 4, 2011, in English, accessed on October 25, 2011
  3. ^ Mulvaney, John and Johan Kamminga (1999): The Prehistory of Australia . Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC., Quoted from: K. Kris Hirst: Wilgie Mia (Australia) archaeologie.aubout.com ( Memento of the original from May 27, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked . Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , in English, accessed October 25, 2011 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / archaeology.about.com
  4. a b environment.gov.au . Wilgie Mia on National Heritage List, February 23, 2011, in English, accessed October 25, 2011
  5. atlasiron.com.au ( Memento of the original from October 20, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : Weld Range , accessed October 25, 2011 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.atlasiron.com.au
  6. environment.gov.au : Wilgie Mia Aboriginal Ocher Mine more information , in English, accessed on October 26, 2011
  7. ^ Vincent and Carol Serventy: Western Australia. Australian landforms . Rigby Adelaide 1981, ISBN 0-7270-1501-X , p. 75.

Coordinates: 26 ° 58 ′ 0 ″  S , 117 ° 39 ′ 0 ″  E