Tasmanian Aboriginal leader angered over management of ancient human remains

A Tasmanian Aboriginal leader has lashed authorities over their handling of recently-discovered ancient human remains – claiming that “nothing has changed” in the past 200 years.

Nala Mansell. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

A Tasmanian Indigenous leader has lashed authorities over their handling of recently-discovered ancient Aboriginal human remains - saying “nothing has changed” over the past 200 years.

On Wednesday, a coroner handed down his findings after a left and right femur and a right radius bone were found by a fisherman at the Shank, near Low Rocky Point on the state’s west coast in 2016.

Late last year, following new developments in DNA testing, and after the bones were sent for radiocarbon testing, it became clear the remains belonged to an Aboriginal person, and well pre-dated the arrival of Europeans - between 772 and 890 AD.

The coroner said he did not form the “necessary suspicion” at the time that the bones were Aboriginal remains, as to reach that view on the basis of the evidence available at the time would have been “absurd”.

The coroner said, in his report, that at the time the bones were discovered, a forensic anthropologist said they were at least 20 years old, and potentially up to 100 years old, and “were within the range” of an Aboriginal male, a Caucasian male, or a Caucasian female.

But Tasmanian Aboriginal leader Nala Mansell is furious about how the remains have been managed over the past seven years.

Nala Mansell. Picture: Linda Higginson

She said the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre was only notified via email three weeks ago - not back in 2016 when the remains were first found.

She said she understood there was a requirement to hand over management of the remains back to the Indigenous community as soon as it was suspected the remains could be Aboriginal.

She said she was disappointed the remains were subjected to “invasive scientific testing” without permission.

Ms Mansell said the Coronial Division was then also “completely insensitive to Aboriginal spiritual and cultural belief” by not taking a step back, but publishing findings to the public and the media without the community’s consent.

The Mercury has reached out to the Coronial Division for comment.

Ms Mansell said in addition, the person’s bones had now been removed from their home for years - and still hadn’t been repatriated.

“We know that our ancestors’ spirits can’t be laid to rest until they’re in their traditional homelands,” she said.

Ms Mansell said she had written to the Coronial Division saying the Aboriginal community should have been contacted “immediately”.

She said the west coast was known for its ancient Aboriginal occupation and heritage including burial grounds, and that the Coronial Division should have suspected the remains were Aboriginal and contacted the community “immediately”.

“We also don’t agree with all the different scientific testing on the remains of our old people - but they’ve done that without letting us know,” Ms Mansell said.

“It’s just a reminder that colonisation continues to this day. For the past 200 years, the remains of our old people have been disrespected, dug up, tested - and white people have maintained control over the bodies of our ancestors.

“It’s disappointing to see that nothing has changed in the past 200 years.”

She said the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre would contact the Attorney-General and call for a full investigation for how the remains had been dealt with.

The coroner said the remains were “safely stored” until developments in the National DNA Program for Unidentified and Missing Persons meant further forensic biological investigations were able to be carried out.

In September 2022, the bones were sent to the national laboratory for further DNA testing - and later for radiocarbon testing - finding the true origins of the remains.

The coroner said given the new evidence, he had referred the matter to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre.

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