22 August 2007

State of the art technology will link Indigenous students from Australia with students from five Native American tribes.

The students will meet in cyber space to discuss marine issues as part of an education initiative of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA).

The American and Australian teenagers will share songs, stories, poems and beliefs about the sea

GBRMPA Reef Guardian Schools Programme Manager Megan Sperring said the meeting would be an excellent opportunity for each of the groups to discuss their relationships with the marine environment.

“This meeting brings together students who come from very different backgrounds yet share similar experiences," she said.

"All the students have close historical connections with the sea and are excited to discuss their varied marine traditions.

“It is inspiring to see our video conferencing programme connecting students from around the world.

“For an hour the students share more than just classrooms, they get to share concerns, ideas and information and most importantly, they get to share cultures.”

The students’ discussions will focus on the topic of “sea country” called “sea harvest” in the United States.

Ms Sperring said the terms refer to the ocean territories that Indigenous groups are connected to.

“The theme of sea country or sea harvest was chosen to recognise the significant cultural and spiritual relationship Indigenous groups have with the sea.”

The talks will also cover topics such as traditional management of marine resources and social value of marine systems.

Marie Roman, the supervising teacher from St Patrick’s College said her students were looking forward to meeting the Native Americans.

“The girls are very interested in the traditions practices of the Tribes. They have come up with a number of questions they want to ask,” she said.

“This will be an opportunity for the students to talk about some of the issues affecting our oceans.”

The US coordinator, Bobbie Bush, agreed that the meeting would be a good forum in which to talk about marine issues.

“Our environmental concerns are extensive,” she said.

“Climate change and terrible storms are affecting salmon runs, which is what many of our Tribes depend upon for food and income.”