The Arabana People, Water and Developing Cultural Indicators for Country
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The Arabana people, water and developing cultural indicators for country Melissa Nursey-Bray and the Arabana Aboriginal Corporation Goyder Institute for Water Research Technical Report Series No. 15/29 www.goyderinstitute.org Goyder Institute for Water Research Technical Report Series ISSN: 1839-2725 The Goyder Institute for Water Research is a partnership between the South Australian Government through the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, CSIRO, Flinders University, the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia. The Institute will enhance the South Australian Government’s capacity to develop and deliver science-based policy solutions in water management. It brings together the best scientists and researchers across Australia to provide expert and independent scientific advice to inform good government water policy and identify future threats and opportunities to water security. The following Associate organisations contributed to this report: Enquires should be addressed to: Goyder Institute for Water Research Level 1, Torrens Building 220 Victoria Square, Adelaide, SA, 5000 tel: 08-8303 8952 e-mail: [email protected] Citation Nursey-Bray. Melissa, and the Arabana Aboriginal Corporation 2015, The Arabana people, water and developing cultural indicators for country, Goyder Institute for Water Research Technical Report Series No. 15/29, Adelaide, South Australia Copyright © 2015 The University of Adelaide. To the extent permitted by law, all rights are reserved and no part of this publication covered by copyright may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means except with the written permission of The University of Adelaide. Disclaimer The Participants advise that the information contained in this publication comprises general statements based on scientific research and does not warrant or represent the completeness of any information or material in this publication. 2 | 86 Acknowledgements We would like to acknowledge the Arabana people who worked collaboratively with us throughout this part of the Goyder project and invested their time, expertise and resources. In particular, thank you to all the Directors of the Arabana Aboriginal Corporation, especially Mr Paul Tanner, Chair for 2014. Uncle Syd Strangways, Lionel Dodd, Jody Warren, Deane Stuart and Sam Stewart who also gave their invaluable time and advice throughout the project. Thanks to Associate Professor Veronica Arbon who also did some work on identifying Arabana perspectives from Darwin. Thanks also to Pony and her family for their time coming out on field trips. Special thanks to David Leek, SAAL NRM Board for giving us the funds to do the fieldwork. Thanks to the two reviewers of this report. We acknowledge the advice of Dr Sue Jackson and the key resources she gave us to kick start this work with and which we have used throughout to help inform us. Thanks to the Goyder Institute and particularly Dr. Michele Akeroyd, Dr. Jim Cox, Dr Dale McNeil and Professor Megan Lewis, for inviting us to be part of and for funding this project. Further thank you to you all for acknowledging the importance and potential contribution of Indigenous knowledge and peoples to river water assessment processes. Special thanks to Melissa's Head of School, Associate Professor Susan Oakley, University of Adelaide for support during the project. Finally, thanks to family for their patience for all the time spent away from home, it couldn't happen without you. Photo: Kati Thanda Lake Eyre (M Nursey-Bray) 3 | 86 Arabana Country. Artwork by Jody Warren, 2015. 4 | 86 Table of Contents Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................... 9 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 10 1.1. Project Aims .................................................................................................................. 11 2. Background ........................................................................................................................ 13 2.1. National Water Governance .......................................................................................... 13 2.2. Cultural Indicators ......................................................................................................... 15 3. Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre and The Arabana People ......................................................... 20 4. Method ................................................................................................................................ 22 5. Cultural Values for Water ................................................................................................ 26 5.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 26 5.2. The Arabana: What is water? ........................................................................................ 26 6. Values .................................................................................................................................. 33 6.1 Water is life .................................................................................................................... 33 6.2. Survival ......................................................................................................................... 34 6.3. Access - Site Knowledge............................................................................................... 35 6.4. History ........................................................................................................................... 37 6.5. Cultural Identity and Resilience .................................................................................... 38 6.6 Variability and change ................................................................................................... 40 6.7. Control ........................................................................................................................... 41 7. Cultural Indicators and the Arabana: the ‘signs’ ........................................................... 43 7.1. Water Indicators ............................................................................................................ 44 7.2. Faunal Indicators ........................................................................................................... 47 5 | 86 7.3. Vegetative Indicators..................................................................................................... 49 7.4. Soil/Ground Indicators .................................................................................................. 51 7.5. Historical Indicators ...................................................................................................... 53 7.6. Useability Indicators ..................................................................................................... 55 7.8. Pressure Indicators ........................................................................................................ 56 8. Implications for assessment, Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre region. ...................................... 59 8.1. Implications for engagement ......................................................................................... 60 8.2. Implications for development of cultural indicators ..................................................... 65 9. Integration?: Finding ‘cultural fit’ in LEB Governance: the future of cultural condition assessment .............................................................................................................. 69 10. Ways Forward .................................................................................................................. 75 Recommendations ................................................................................................................ 76 11. References ......................................................................................................................... 77 6 | 86 List of Tables Description Page Table 1: Summary of types of cultural and social indicators 17 - 19 Table 2: Exemplary quotes reflecting concerns over control/access/changes in 42 water Table 3: Suggested staged co-engagement process for development of cultural 63-4 indicators Table 4: Differences between cultural and scientific indicators 66 Table5: Cultural water Indicators Schemata, Kati Thanda –Lake Eyre 67 - 8 List of Boxes Description Page Box 1: Aims of the Goyder project 10 Box 2: Benefits of Developing Cultural Indicators 15 Box 3: Summary of Motueka Project 72 List of Figures Description Page Figure 1: Governance structure of the Lake Eyre Basin 13 Figure 2: South Australia Water Governance 14 Figure 3: Queensland Water Governance 14 Figure 4: Northern Territory Water Governance 14 Figure 5: Arabana country and places where Arabana people now live 21 Figure 6: Outline of Methodological Approach Taken 23 7 | 86 8 | 86 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Water is of paramount importance to the Arabana people who live in the Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre region. Assessing the ongoing condition of aquatic ecosystems is an important part of management. Development of indicator frameworks that can incorporate both scientific and cultural values can ensure Indigenous involvement