HOW RURAL BUSINESSES CAN HONOUR INDIGENOUS LANDS

By Mark Koolmatrie –Kool Tours

Image Credits - Nicole Motteux Photography

Bringing the old world of Indigenous knowledge into the new world of land stewardship takes time. It’s not an instant fix with a one-size-fits-all formula that can be read and acted upon.

It takes action and relationship building on the part of rural businesses, and it takes a knowledge base that our people often no longer hold due to loss of language and cultural competency.

Does this, then, mean it's too hard to achieve? Not by any means.

In the recent CIWEM The Environment February 2023 edition, I spoke of the importance of going back to the basics of understanding our combined role in caring for Country or caring for the environment that we are immersed in.

I believe strongly in oneness. This is where we care for each other and the environment. Many Indigenous call it Country, or Ruwi as we Ngarrindjeri call it. To me, it all has one meaning.

One must see caring for the environment or Country as an action rather than just words. This is paramount to making and maintaining our surroundings for future generations. Country has changed since the Europeans arrived – new plants and animals, different land uses, different economies and different threats and opportunities. While some knowledge may be lost, Indigenous values in Country remain and form an important foundation for relationship-building to care for Country.

The system we speak of is that of the Ngartji. The term Ngartji describes the totems that are given to my people the Ngarrindjeri to connect our family, clans, Tribes and the world around us. Our Ngartji is a friend, our protector, and that which we must serve. This Ngarrindjeri cultural system frames the values that show our connection to Country, our identity of belonging and the responsibilities we have to each other and our Ngartji.

Ngartji refers to our individual totems, which include animals, plants, insects, fish and other marine life, mammals, and birds, as well as how our totems or Ngartjis connect to protect and serve our land, waters and cosmology –the connecting of a complete system to look after our world.

The Koolmatrie family Ngartji is the wild dog or keli and the fish called mulloway. My Mother's Ngartji was the seagull or throkeri with my dad Ramindjeri connection being the wattle tree (Wirrilda).

Not only do Ngarrindjeri have a family responsibility to honour Country, but we also have a responsibility that sits deep within what we call our Mewi or a guiding inner-self. Each person has this guiding responsibility – it is the thing that resonates deep within oneself and tells each one of us how to care for a mammal, reptile, waterway, insect, bird, plant, and the list continues until each and every species is cared for in the world. It is this ancient tradition that has allowed Ngarrindjeri to care for Country through action over generations. A simplified way of looking at the concept of Ngartji is if we all look after and serve the needs of our Ngartji – ensuring they have fresh, clean waters, plant life and other microorganisms to survive, food and protection, and their needs for survival are met – then the whole system is taken care of and the whole environment, cosmology and other Ngartji survive and thrive.

Our rich wisdom reflects belonging and togetherness, safety and security and the nurture and nourishment of all life forms of Ngarrindjeri culture and history. Preserving this with raw authenticity and through mediums typological of such is imperative to future generations' engagement carrying this forward in practice, through deep understanding and in being.

Today this is just not an ancient Ngarrindjeri wisdom we ask rural Australia to adopt but one that everyone, regardless of life experiences, can adopt to bring our ancient old ways into a new world.

So, what can rural Australia and rural businesses do to honour Indigenous lands, and how can they use Indigenous caring for Country values to support the successful management of their business?

Firstly, I believe we must not separate Indigenous lands from what is seen as our individual environments. If oneness is to occur, we must see, yes, Indigenous people have a spiritual connection to Country, but each and every one of us has a similar connection. We all value Country in some way, and understanding all those values helps us come together to care for Country in an integrated way.

The challenges are different, and few solutions are finalised – so we can work together with shared values to jointly develop solutions for what some are now calling nature repair. Joint research, joint action, shared values, and shared successes – these are the steps along the road to reconciliation and success. This process has started already. For my part, I am working with the Yundi Nature Conservancy to restore and protect the Fleurieu Peninsula Swamp Ruwi following joint research, joint action and shared values.

By looking deep within Ngarrindjeri culture, the world can plan for a more sustainable future that allows us to care for your Ngartji and, in turn, care for everything within the system.

For further information go to our website www. kooltours.com.au and also see: Aboriginal knowledge and values of the Fleurieu swamps

Mark Koolmatrie –Kool Tours

Mark Koolmatrie is a Ngarrindjeri Elder who is the founder of Kool Tours, an authentic Indigenous experience in The Fleurieu Peninsula of South Australia.

He is a cultural educator who is passionate about caring for the environment and his desire for Oneness, a move towards acceptance of all.