Astounding discovery in cave hints at sorcery being the world’s continuously practiced oldest ritual

Despite the rapid modernization spreading around the world, some cultures never fail to keep up the rituals their ancestors passed on to them. Similarly, Australia is home to several aboriginal tribes, boasting a rich cultural heritage. Recently, scientists uncovered one of the oldest evidence of an Australian aboriginal ritual that dates back to the Ice Age. This archaeological evidence, housed in a remote Australian cave, speaks volumes about how accurately the ritual has been passed down for centuries, per the study published in the Nature Human Behaviour journal. 

The archaeological exploration of the Cloggs cave that lies near the town of Buchan in Victoria's Gippsland region began in the 1970s. This dig was conducted without the knowledge of the land's traditional owners, the GunaiKurnai, and it eventually ended up with no significant outcome. Later, the GunaiKurnai were keen on learning their history. Hence, the GunaiKurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC)  developed a partnership with the researchers of Monash University to explore the cave. This association unravels ancient evidence of the aboriginal ritual that was continuously practiced for millenniums. 

Two fireplaces, each consisting of a single stick embedded in them, were the clue that the traditional GunaiKurnia ritual was conducted 12,000 years ago. The fireplaces with ashes had partially burnt Casuarina stems that resembled the shape of a throwing stick. The sticks were chemically analyzed and the results showed that the sticks were smeared in animal or human fat. These ancient wooden fragments have survived nature's bouts since the end of the Ice Age. Based on 19th-century ethnography, researchers deduced the meaning of these small fireplaces with embedded sticks. It was a ritual done by the GunaiKurnia medicine men and women known as "mulla-mullung."

"For these artifacts to survive is just amazing. They're telling us a story. They've been waiting here all this time for us to learn from them. A reminder that we are a living culture still connected to our ancient past. It's a unique opportunity to be able to read the memoirs of our Ancestors and share that with our community," GunaiKurnai's Elder Uncle Russell Mullett stated in Monash University's official press release. "The connection of these archaeological finds with recent GunaiKurnai practices demonstrates 12,000 years of knowledge transfer," added the study's lead author, Professor Bruno David from the Monash Indigenous Studies Center. Turns out, this evidence of "mulla-mullung," practice was the oldest one ever to be found in the world.

The purpose of this ritual was to help a sick person recover, according to Alfred Howitt, a government geologist and pioneer ethnographer. During the ritual, the stick smeared in human or kangaroo fat was fastened along with something that belonged to the sick person. Then, it was embedded on the ground in a slanting position and a fire was lit underneath it. Once this was done, the "mulla-mullung" would chant the name of the sick person and once the Casuarina stick burned and fell to the ground, the ritual ended. As per Howitt's 19th-century ethnography, this ritual was still in practice.