Archaeologists have uncovered evidence that Aboriginal Australians burned grass inside Cloggs Cave for ritual purposes spanning 25,000 years, according to research involving the GunaiKurnai people of Gippsland, Victoria.
The cave sits within GunaiKurnai territory and holds deep cultural significance documented in 19th-century ethnographic accounts and oral traditions. These sources describe the site as a location where spiritual practitioners called "mulla-mullung" performed healing rituals, magic, and curses.
Researchers identified charred grass residues in the cave's sediment layers, establishing a continuous record of intentional burning practices extending back a quarter-million years. The grass burning appears tied to spiritual ceremonies conducted by learned women and men recognized as healers and practitioners of ritual magic within the community.
The discovery connects modern ethnographic knowledge with archaeological evidence, demonstrating that the cultural practices documented in historical records have deep roots extending into the Pleistocene. This continuity is remarkable for its duration and consistency.
The findings highlight how indigenous knowledge systems preserved ceremonial practices across millennia. The repeated, deliberate burning of grass suggests these rituals held enduring importance for the GunaiKurnai and earlier inhabitants of the region. Cloggs Cave thus serves as a physical archive of spiritual practice, healing traditions, and ritual knowledge transmission across 25,000 years.
The research reflects collaborative archaeology that centers indigenous voices and validates oral traditions through material evidence. Rather than treating Aboriginal accounts as folklore, the study demonstrates their accuracy as historical records. The work strengthens understanding of how Aboriginal Australians developed and maintained complex spiritual systems alongside their material cultures.