Smyth, 1994:

"For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including those living in urbanised areas of Australia, the significance of land and sea is intimately bound to the spirituality surrounding the origins of landscapes and seascapes, and the animals, plants and peoples that inhabit them.

Torres Strait Islanders have many creation stories to explain the origins of their islands, reefs, sea and all the animals and plants important to them. As in Aboriginal Australia, many geographical features visible today provide reminders of the creation journeys of ancestral beings. For example, the hill on Mer, with its rounded summit and long, sloping side, is Gelam the dugong. Gelam arrived at Mer from the island of Moa. He came in a log of wood which he had carved in the shape of a dugong. When he arrived he lay down beside Mer facing towards the east. However, when the naiger (east wind) blew strongly it blew into his nostrils and so he turned to face the zai (south west). Gelam brought with him vegetables, fruit, seeds and spoil. He carried these in his left armlet. After he had settled down he scattered these around and they helped to make Mer fertile and rich in food crops.

Animals and plants are an integral part of ancient spirituality and contemporary kinship systems. According to Helen Nunggalurr: These [creation] spirit beings, or Wangarr, gave us our totems as they changed from one form to another. Our word for totem is Mandayin. Most of the plants, animals and places around us are totems for one tribe or another. These totems are relations for us. For example, I call the long necked tortoise Maari, which means my mother's mother. This is because the long necked tortoise is sacred to Dhalwangu clan, which is Mitjarrandi's clan, and our two clans are related as grandmother and granddaughter. Because we are related to most things around us and because we are surrounded by totems, we must respect and care for our environment according to our law.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples throughout Australia continue to be interested in subsistence hunting, gathering and fishing. This is particularly evident in remote areas where indigenous peoples obtain a large part of their diet from these activities. As was established in the Commonwealth Government's recent Coastal Zone Inquiry, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in more urban regions also regularly engage in hunting and fishing for traditional foods, which continue to comprise a significant part of their non-cash economy.

Understanding the importance of country to indigenous Australians involves a recognition of the centrality of particular areas of land and sea to the identity, culture and social structure of particular groups of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It involves a recognition of the significance of sacred sites, the contemporary importance of hunting, fishing and gathering, and the need to secure an independent economic base while maintaining traditional associations with land and sea." 

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Citation and/or URL

Smyth, D., 1994, Understanding country:  the importance of land and sea in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies. Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation. Canberra, Australian Government Public Service.      

Spatial Coverage

Australia

Temporal Coverage

Not applicable 

Update Frequency

Not applicable 

Other Information

Marine and intertidal cultural heritage sites in the Great Barrier Reef

Totems, Stories and Ceremonies