How a tiny, fat-smeared stick proves a 12,000-year-old ritual

Cultures · Published 22 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: We often hear that Aboriginal Australians represent the world's oldest living culture. But new archaeological evidence from Cloggs Cave reveals something even more profound: a specific, unbroken ritual practice that has survived for at least 500 generations, persisting from the end of the last Ice Age to the present day.

Recent excavations at Cloggs Cave, located near Buchan in the foothills of Victoria's high country, have uncovered extraordinary evidence of ritual continuity. Working under the guidance of GunaiKurnai Elders, archaeologists from Monash University and the GunaiKurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation identified two unusual, miniature fireplaces buried beneath layers of silt and ash. These were not used for cooking, as no food remains were found; instead, their small scale and specific composition suggest a ceremonial purpose.

The discovery relied on a sequence of 69 radiocarbon dates, which placed one fireplace at 11,000 years old and a deeper one at approximately 12,000 years old. The deeper hearth contained a single branch from a Casuarina tree, or she-oak, that had been trimmed and smeared with animal fat. Microscopic and biochemical analyses revealed lipids—fatty acids that persist over vast timescales—on the stick. A second, even smaller fireplace featured a branch with an angled end, similar to a throwing stick, also coated in keratin-like faunal tissue and fat.

The significance of these finds lies in their connection to the present. By matching the physical characteristics of these ancient hearths with GunaiKurnai ethnographic records from the 19th century, researchers confirmed that these specific ritual practices were performed by mulla-mullung, powerful medicine men and women. By comparing these hearths to 19th-century GunaiKurnai ethnographic accounts, it is evident that specific cultural practices have persisted for over 12,000 years, offering a direct glimpse into the final stages of the previous Ice Age.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• The 42,000-Year-Old Burial That Rewrote Human History
• A fossilized waterway in Australia holds the world's oldest evidence of human cremation
• Australia's deepest history outlasts its youngest federation
• How an ancient volcanic eruption sparked one of the world's oldest engineering feats
• The world's oldest continuous culture may have arrived 60,000 years ago
• How shared beliefs transformed nature into complex human governments
• A 15,000-year-old social network connected two continents before Europe arrived
• The mystery of the first Americans remains a puzzle for modern science
• The civilizations that flourished before the rise of the Aztecs
• The enduring legacies of six great Indian nations
• From isolated feudalism to a global cultural powerhouse
• Shaking the shadows to cleanse the soul before the New Year

More in Indigenous cultures of the Americas · More in Cultures · Latest · A–Z · All topics