The final emergence of those miners from the Tasmanian mine today reminded me of this too. And watching Tony Robinson talking about children being sent to work down mines. Ie - it's not nice being in a dark, enclosed space. And because of the danger and fear, you're bound to come up with superstitions and ways of coping aren't you? There are loads connected with mining in this country in modern times.
Also there are all the connections with the underworld (a concept wot is surely in most cultures across the world).
I suppose, Hob, that your ochre would also have all the connections of being like blood, so the blood of the earth, and might require extra special rituals because of that.