‘A river is our life force’: why Indigenous cultural values must be visible in conservation |
In the Kimberley, Martuwarra – also called the Fitzroy River – is far more than a waterway.
It is one of Australia’s largest and most intact river systems. It flows about 730 kilometres from the central Kimberley to King Sound in the north of Western Australia.
Martuwarra supports plants, animals, wetlands, floodplains and communities across a catchment of about 94,000 square kilometres. For Traditional Custodians, Martuwarra is living water. It is Cultural identity connected by Country, kin, knowledge and responsibility.
Many species and ecological communities hold deep cultural, spiritual and livelihood importance for Indigenous peoples. Sometimes known as Totems, these Culturally significant entities are not always animals. They may also be plants, landscapes, waters or other parts of the living world that make up Country.
Their meaning depends on Country, culture, family, community and the Knowledge systems to which they belong. But they are rarely acknowledged in national policy, planning or conservation management systems. And this is what environmental management can miss when it sees nature only through categories such as species, habitats, resources or water allocations.
Making cultural values visible
Martuwarra is one of the case studies in our project, Recognising Culturally Significant Entities. Led by Aboriginal researchers and guided........