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A MOVEMENT OF FIRST NATIONS YOUNG PEOPLE STANDING UP FOR THEIR LAND, WATER AND CULTURE TISHIKO KING Tishiko King is a proud Torres Strait Islander from the Kulkulgal Nation, Seed Mob Community Organiser and Impact Coordinator with the Environmental Film Festival Australia.
Australia is one of the most biologically diverse countries on the planet and for over 46,000 years, Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders have been conservationists and the custodians of their lands and islands. We are a part of the oldest continuing culture in the world and have lived in harmony with our land for generations. Right now, climate change is disproportionately affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people where we are experiencing sea levels rising in the Torres Strait, the loss of sacred country, and diminishing food and water accessibility. Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network, often referred to as Seed Mob, is Australia’s first Indigenous organisation that is on the frontlines of climate justice. We have been building a movement of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people to protect their land, rivers and oceans from the causes and impacts of climate change. Since 2014 we have brought together and built the capacity of young mob from the far corners of our country, to lead and change their communities and collectively take action on our campaigns. This is through grassroots organising in communities, with pop-up stalls at local events like NAIDOC week and classroom visits at high schools and universities.
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER | VOLUME 29: ISSUE 3 – OCTOBER 2020
We are seeing an incredible movement of First Nations people resisting further ecocide on their country. We are engaged with environmental concerns across our nation. In the Northern Territory, our campaigns are focused on fracking, where rock is fractured to extract gas. In Western Australia, after the recent destruction of culturally significant sites on Gija country in East Kimberley, Garnkiny and Goorlabal people are campaigning to demand changes to the flaws in the Aboriginal Heritage Act (1972). These are flaws that have allowed big mining corporations to legally destroy other Aboriginal heritage sites in the Pilbara. In Queensland, the Wangan and Jagalingou people are continuing the fight and resistance against coal company Adani, standing their ground to protect and end the desecration of their homelands. In Djapwurrung country in Victoria, their men, women and surrounding clans are fighting to protect their sacred 800-year-old trees from the development of highways and urbanisation. Their sacred trees are their songlines that have cultural significance to their women.
