WfHC - cover page (not to be used with pre-printed report ... - CSIRO

Some answers were just spooky, such as the one to the question I asked about the single
human bare foot print found dried in a mud plain. As a well-trained field geomorphologist, I
could interpret the surrounding erosional and depositional patterns and processes and the
water level signs from the last wet season, but the footprint had me seriously puzzled. Why
only one? „That‟s my ancestor‟s‟ the elder answered, quietly mumbling that he did not get
much sleep the night before because of all the movement and noise the ancestors had
made. I had slept like a baby under the stars and heard nothing.
My initial impressions and observations of Oriners and Sefton left me with an overall sense
that this „forest country‟ and its cultural landscapes were truly unique - not just compared to
the rest of the Mitchell catchment, which I know well, but also on a national and even
international level. This region is not a human-free wilderness in the traditional sense of that
term as it emerged in the 19 th century (Langton 1996) . Nor is it the kind of wilderness
envisaged by the Queensland „Wild River‟ legislation, which has to my mind alienated
Indigenous peoples‟ rights and histories of care whilst being ineffective in addressing or
curtailing the true management needs and threats. Rather, Oriners (and Sefton) are an
integral part of a relatively „wild‟ area where natural processes still dominate with the help
and guidance of direct low-impact actions of humans that are deeply connected to place and
landscape through rich traditional customs and laws. David Hughes‟ description of Oriners as
„a piece of the way Cape York used to be‟ is fitting, and is supported by both scientific
assessments (Abrahams, Mulvaney et al. 1995; Whisson and Young 1995), and by my own
impressions.
Having shown me the beauty and value of the landscape, the elders‟ multifaceted answers to
my initial naive question came to an end with a discussion of the current challenges of how to
manage and maintain the integrity of large tracts of Indigenous land under the modern
pressures for development. My own personal observations over the years indicate that this
landscape is under threat physically, biologically, and culturally. Some language and cultural
knowledge has been lost, and thresholds of degradation have been crossed with respect to
altered fire regimes and woodland thickening, weed and feral animal invasions, and the
erosion effects caused by these factors and others such as cattle and roads. The elders were
aware of these problems, as well as the need for money to combat them and the difficulty in
engaging young people about traditional land management and bush living when the young
have so many new challenges, distractions, and comforts back in town.
Yet during my early visits it was already clear that some solutions to the contemporary
management challenges had emerged, most obviously the elders and youth just „getting out
there and doing it‟. This seemed to have been particularly evident in the 1990s after the
Kowanyama community regained control and modern ownership rights over their traditional
country around Oriners and Sefton. But the relatively small size of these properties have
hampered efforts to fully re-instate indigenous management, control and self-governance
over the wider landscape, particularly with respect to appropriately scaled fire and weed
management. Paradoxically, the relatively large sizes of these properties, the access issues,
and the low levels of human presence have also hampered the implementation of indigenous
management techniques and restoration opportunities. What seems to be needed is that the
wider group of indigenous people who have rights to this „forest county‟, including those living
beyond Kowanyama, work together under the principle of „strength in numbers‟. Cumulative
actions moving towards regional control and management of additional traditional lands to
north and east would enable holistic ecosystem management as well as the maintenance of
cultural connections, story lines, and wider community well-being. At the time I certainly did
not know, and perhaps nor did the elders with me, that the potential for larger scale
indigenous ownership and management of the „forest country‟ would become a real
possibility thanks to the political struggles and perseverance of this wider group.
Despite the invasive impacts and the management challenges, a majority of the cultural,
physical, and biological landscapes in and around Oriners and Sefton are still healthy and
intact over large areas. Since degradation pathways are not too severe, restoration actions
can bring cultural, physical, and biological conditions and processes back toward a pre-
European and/or pre-disturbance condition, or at a minimum prevent or reduce future
Working Knowledge at Oriners Station, Cape York
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