Originally published November 18, 2017
THE 42,000-year-old bones of Mungo Man, the oldest human remains found in Australia, completed their journey back to Willandra Lakes, 110km north east of Mildura, after 43 years in Canberra.
For the three tribal groups commemorating the return of Mungo Man and 104 others to country, it meant the ancestors were at peace again.
Elders of the Parintyi, Paakantyi, Mutthi Mutthi and Ngiyampaa tribes, who fought for their ancestors’ return for those for decades, spoke of how the return healed their pain, during a sacred ceremony at Lake Mungo, not far from where Mungo Man was uncovered by geologist Jim Bowler.
His discovery revealed Aboriginal people had settled inland Australia, with a sophisticated culture, more than 40,000 years ago but permission was never sought to remove the remains from where they rested.
A restored Aboriginal hearse, used for indigenous funerals in Victoria and southern NSW during the 1970s, carried Mungo Man and the other remains from Canberra to the Willandra Lakes.
Rain across the Mildura and Balranald regions mid-week did not render the roads to Mungo impassable but the hearse took slightly longer than planned to arrive.
A throng of people, indigenous and non-indigenous, gathered at Mungo for a ceremony that was at times solemn, at others joyful with music and dance.
After the formalities concluded, the elders and their families embraced, rejoicing in the finalisation of the return to country and a step towards reconciliation.
It was in 1974 that Dr Bowler, who first travelled to Lake Mungo to research long-term climate change, discovered a skull embedded in part of the lunette after heavy rains in the area.
The full skeleton of the figure was uncovered, having been buried by the lake lying on his back and sprinkled in red ochre, in what Dr Bowler described as a ceremonial ritual.
Mungo Man is believed to have been about 50 years old when he died, which likely would have made him an elder in his community.
Dr Bowler’s discovery proved Aboriginal people had settled inland Australia twice as early as previously thought — the remains having been estimated to be about 42,000 years old.
In 1969, Dr Bowler had found the burnt remains of the woman now known as Mungo Lady — evidence of the world’s oldest known human cremation.
While Mungo Lady was repatriated in 1992, the remains of Mungo Man remained in Canberra.
Efforts to restore the remains to Mungo through negotiations with the Paakantyi, Mutthi Mutthi and Ngiyampaa peoples were met with frustrating bureaucratic delays until the impasse was resolved a few months ago.
But Mungo Man is not alone and indeed returns to country alongside 104 other remains that were removed from the area and taken to Canberra.
Mungo Man will remain at Willandra Lakes, not reburied in the ground but stored securely, under the careful custodianship of the traditional owners.
