Aboriginal connections to water

1. Aboriginal connections to water Spiritual, cultural, religious

2. Connections • Spiritual: land is ‘the mother’, Aboriginal people believe we come from the land and go back to the land when we die; waterways are part of this land connection • Religious: the dreaming stories that tell how a certain landscape was created, and that give advice or warn about ways to act, responsibilities for the land, etc – this is like the bible • Cultural: how people use the land and water – what they do and what they eat (recreation, food, cultural ceremony) • Recreational, social: like anyone, waterways are sites for gathering and playing • Economic: source of income • Practical: source of food and life-giving water These connections are often all tied together in Aboriginal stories and explanations (can’t separate)

3. Narrindjeri people, Murray RiverTimeline http://www.murrayriver.com.au/about-the-murray/murray-river-aboriginals/

4. Lake Mungo – now dry, once a burial ground Mungo Lady & Mungo Man 1969: Australian archaeologists discovered the remains of the oldest known human to have been ritually cremated. They found bone fragments belonging to the skeleton of a young woman, believed to have lived and died some 40,000 years ago. 1974: close to ‘Mungo Lady’, shifting sand dunes exposed the remains of a Mungo Man. Buried about 42,000 years ago, the oldest found skeleton buried using red ochre, earliest known example of sophisticated burial practice.

6. Coomealla Aboriginal Cooperative http://www.murrayriver.com.au/about-the-murray/murray-river-aboriginals/

7. Aboriginal Water Values and Management in Northern Australia • Note, we have a copy of the CSIRO seasons map at our bushtucker garden.

8. Culture and history through art “This painting relates to the Morning Star death ceremony, which celebrates the connections between life and death. -depicts the sturdy vine fish trap used by central Arnhem Land groups like the Djinang to catch fish. -represents the souls of dead people as, in this region, people believe that a person’s spirit returns to its clan well for rebirth. -Water facilitates the transformation of a deceased person’s life force into a spirit being. Because of their association with water, these spirits are likened to fish. One important traditional ceremony is where people dance around fish traps to evoke the floods of the wet season. The trap, which is placed next to the deceased’s coffin, is then ruptured to symbolise the release of the deceased person’s spirit. “ Jack Wunuwun, Fish trap story, 1984 http://natsiaadigitisation.nt.gov.au/docs/index.php?typ=artwork&p1=ABART-0890

9. Womb cave, Mystery Bay, Narooma, NSW • Opening under rock wall on shore line • A place where women went to give birth • Calming, protected, salt water helps to cleanse • Special and sacred significance to local Yuin people • Women’s business site: for girls and women (photo available for girls’ classes) Information from school talk presented by Cathy Thomas, Aboriginal Ranger, Narooma, 3 April 2014.

10. Traditional management - totems “The traditional way to ensure that resources are maintained for the future is for them to become a totem for the local people. This encourages a system of kinship (family relation) with the natural world. For example, if joongar(octopus) is a totem to a person, or group of people, then it is their duty and responsibility to ensure that the octopus population in that group’s area is managed and not over-harvested” (p. 81) How would you protect your totem? What eats it? (sharks, eels) – so if there are too many predators, talk to the people whose totems are sharks or eels and get them to cull the population What does an octopus eat? (crabs) – so if there are not enough crabs, talk to the people who manage crabs about stopping over-harvesting of crabs http://www.mpa.nsw.gov.au/docs/FINAL_BMP_mod4.pdf

11. How did Narooma get its name? “Neptune’s necklace, or nunuma, a common seaweed found along the coast is an important seasonal indicator. When the segments or individual beads of the plant swell, the local people know that rain is coming. The coastal town of Narooma takes its name from this seaweed. With these indicators, Aboriginal people can move around the coastline, knowing that areas will be able to sustain a group of them at a particular time of year” (p 82). http://www.mpa.nsw.gov.au/docs/FINAL_BMP_mod4.pdf

12. Bateman’s bay local knowledge “Fish traps are large structures built from rocks in the tidal zone of rocky shores. The traps are baited on the outgoing tide, and the smell attracts fishes into the traps on the incoming high tide. Once in the fish trap, the fishes are either collected in smaller traps or speared. Stone fish traps are generally used at certain times, such as when large quantities of fish are required for ceremonies or gatherings, and the men net, spear or trap the fishes. In some places, the poisonous sap or leaves of particular plants can be used to stun the fishes temporarily, making them easier to catch” (p. 78). http://www.mpa.nsw.gov.au/docs/FINAL_BMP_mod4.pdf

13. Coastal dreamings – south and north NSW Dolphins are known to assist in the fish harvest at many coastal locations. When dolphins are seen, a gifted community member will sing to them. The dolphins circle the fishes and drive them onto the shore where they are netted. Sometimes fishes will be left stranded if the tide is outgoing at the time, and then they are simply collected from the beach. http://www.mpa.nsw.gov.au/docs/FINAL_BMP_mod4.pdf

14. http://www.mpa.nsw.gov.au/docs/FINAL_BMP_mod4.pdf

15. Arakwal clan, Byron Bay • Dolphin is sacred and a totem of Arakwal women • The 2 big dolphins on each side of the painting represent the elders of the tribe, and the smaller dolphins in the middle represent the younger generations and their lifecycle. • Notice that there are 2 different colours on the dolphins. This represents the different tribes. Our elders would always make sure that we never married into the same tribe so this is represented in this painting also. • The dot circles in this painting represent the water which is the life of all Earth…without water nothing can survive. • The fish (Jalum) are a very important food source for the dolphin and us, it’s all part of the same food chain. • The spirit inside wadjung, the dolphin, shows that human and dolphin are connected • http://arakwal.com.au/nigel-stewart/

16. Canning Stock Route - where British settlers moved cattle through WA, using Aboriginal water holes along the way • “This is a well called Martilirri [Well 22]. And around there is also Kalypa [Well 23] and Kartarru [Well 24], in the middle. And in summertime we could stop in those places because they have permanent water. After the rain we could move back to our homeland because the rock holes and soaks would all be filled again.And the footprints are a Dreamtime story of a man looking for a water...” • NgamaruBidu, Martumili Artists, acrylic on canvas, 147.5 x 99.6 cm • http://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/yiwarra_kuju/artworks/ngurra

17. ‘Cultural flows’ • Aboriginal people seek legally recognised rights to their waterways. • They need to have enough access to water for: • Spiritual and religious • Cultural • Social or recreational • Practical (food, water source) or environmental • Economic • reasons. • Write a summary of examples of how Aboriginal people have these different needs around water, using the summary scaffold

18. Contemporary Aboriginal art – can take many forms “We belong to one of the largest Aboriginal families on the south coast, NSW. We are sea dwellers and our life revolves around the ocean hunting and gathering seafood.  I get all sorts of ideas from everyday living, most of these ideas come from the land, the incredible colour, shapes & patterns in everything around, the smells, sounds, & the stories passed down from my elders. I use dot work because it feels so natural and makes the paintings look complete. I use line work as well because it is my imprint. I enjoy playing with colours and using them in a way that will uplift people.” Natalie Bateman http://www.southeastarts.org.au/OnlineGallery/AboriginalArtists/NatalieBateman.aspx

19. Contemporary art I have always been inspired by my South Coast culture, people and its history.  That is where my art comes from.  I like to use my art to tell stories and to educate people on how beautiful my culture is, in particular the south coast. I enjoy teaching other people how to tell their stories through their art. Cheryl Davison http://www.southeastarts.org.au/OnlineGallery/AboriginalArtists/CherylDavisonprints.aspx

20. Links • http://arakwal.com.au/nigel-stewart/ • http://livingknowledge.anu.edu.au/learningsites/kooricoast/01_welcome.htm • http://www.mpa.nsw.gov.au/docs/FINAL_BMP_mod4.pdf • http://www.murrayriver.com.au/about-the-murray/murray-river-aboriginals/ • http://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/yiwarra_kuju/artworks/ngurra • www.southeastarts.org.au

21. Video made by Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water Population and Communities; National Water Commission; Fisheries Research and Development Corporation; CSIRO and Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge. Art work on video by artists listed below.