Aboriginal Engagement in the Northern South Australian Opal Industry, c 1940-1980

Abstract

This article examines the role of Aboriginal people in the northern South Australian opal industry, in particular the Andamooka and Coober Pedy fields, from 1940 to 1980, and the distinctive nature of their participation. It explores an aspect of Aboriginal engagement in the economy that has not been examined in a scholarly way, making considerable use of oral testimony. It also highlights the agency of Aboriginal people who participated in the industry while also maintaining cultural continuity in an era when the official government policy of 'assimilation' was in full swing. The small scale and informal nature of the opal industry attracted Aboriginal people because of the level of workplace autonomy it provided and its capacity to accommodate important economic, social and cultural practices. Aboriginal people participated in a 'hybrid economy', consisting of the market, public and traditional customary spheres, and were able to participate actively in the South Australian opal industry in a variety of meaningful and skilled occupations, often in trying conditions that required patience and determination. At the same time, Aboriginal opal miners vigorously maintained important aspects of their traditional economic, social and cultural lives, which the industry readily accommodated. The opal industry provided many Aboriginal people with a regular source of income for many years, but by the 1970s, their engagement began to dwindle. A number of factors contributed to this, including declining levels of opal production, new technology driven by increasing fuel prices and the extension of unemployment benefits to Aboriginal people in remote areas.