Mapoon Mission and Burial Mounds
Located in the region of western Cape York, Mapoon has had a violent and traumatic history since European invasion with noted massacres in the 1880s and the kidnapping and abuse of Aboriginal children by pearl shell and beche-de-mer fishermen. These led to the establishment of Mapoon Mission by the Moravian church in 1891. Its cemetery is the oldest Aboriginal cemetery in the region, with the greatest potential to contain unmarked precontact burials. The closure of the mission in 1963 resulted in the burning of many homes and the forced relocation and removal of many Indigenous families.
Meet the Site Custodians
Aunty Dianne Nicholls Pitt
Aunty Dianne Nicholls Pitt is the Director and Traditional Owner, Tjungundji Aboriginal Corporation
Aunty Maria Pitt
Aunty Maria Pitt is the Director and Elder, Tjungundji Aboriginal Corporation and Councillor Mapoon Aboriginal Shire Council
Updates from the Site
Stay tuned for updates from the site coming soon!
