Kimberley Appropriate Economics Interim Report - Australian ...

talking about the canal (taking water from the
Fitzroy River to Perth) that you are not only
dealing with the river, you are also dealing with
the people.
And I think that is the challenge – (to get that)
real connection between the integrity of law and
culture - and the industry base.
So we have to find a way as Aboriginal people,
and non-Aboriginal people - as an Australian
community - to find a way to create what this
conference is about – appropriate sustainable
economies.
This conference can continue, even if it is only
an inch at a time, to build on what’s been done,
to build opportunities to develop sustainable
projects – but never forgetting that intrinsic
value that Aboriginal people place on their lands
and law and culture. That’s got to underpin
everything.
Others want to help make a glue so that all
together as people – not as opposition, or as
black or white, (we can) value this country,
value the well-being of our families, and (work
to relieve) the terrible situation of poverty
Aboriginal people are in. If we can alleviate that
without destroying our culture and our country,
then this Roundtable will have certainly done
well if this is the first step.
Joe Ross, Bunuba Traditional Owner and Community Leader
Taken from his Roundtable opening speech
Wunyumbu
When the world was soft, Wunyumbu was fishing in Mijirayikan
billabong. A huge serpent rose up, and Wunyumbu speared the
serpent and jumped on its back. He rode on the serpent,
traveling east, creating the Fitzroy River system of
plants and animals as he went. All things grow
from this creation of the river.
This is the foundation of our identity. The
Fitzroy River is a part of us and we are a part
of the Fitzroy. If we look after the Fitzroy, it
will look after us. It is time for us to show our
responsibility and look after it for our kids and
their kids - all people, black and white.
As we move into the modern context, we have to become
engaged with the ‘mainstream’ community. We have to speak
clearly and strongly about our beliefs, values, and aspirations
for country.
The Kimberley Land Council has been actively
involved in developing a clear picture of what
country means to us, and what we must do to care for
it. The centre of this picture is culture, rights, and
responsibilities. Culture, tells us ‘who we are’ - it is our
foundation.
3