1.1 Connection to Country
The ACT Government acknowledges the Ngunnawal people as Traditional Custodians of the ACT and recognises any other people or families with connection to the lands of the ACT and region. This chapter focuses on Ngunnawal custodianship.
The Ngunnawal people are first inhabitants of the Canberra region and have cared for this CountryFor Aboriginal people, the term Country encompasses all living things and all aspects of the environment, as well as the knowledge, cultural practices and responsibilities connected with this. The term contains complex ideas about law, place, custom, language, spiritual belief, material sustenance, family and identity. for more than 25,000 years. This chapter reflects on the depth of Ngunnawal people’s knowledge of the environment. It discusses Ngunnawal seasons and recognises the value of Ngunnawal approaches to water and fire management.
Did you know?
Ngunnawal CountryFor Aboriginal people, the term Country encompasses all living things and all aspects of the environment, as well as the knowledge, cultural practices and responsibilities connected with this. The term contains complex ideas about law, place, custom, language, spiritual belief, material sustenance, family and identity. extends beyond the borders of the ACT. It also includes some surrounding areas of New South Wales. Ngunnawal CountryFor Aboriginal people, the term Country encompasses all living things and all aspects of the environment, as well as the knowledge, cultural practices and responsibilities connected with this. The term contains complex ideas about law, place, custom, language, spiritual belief, material sustenance, family and identity. is not easily marked with clear lines on a map, because its boundaries were defined by the language people spoke on the land. However, generally Ngunnawal CountryFor Aboriginal people, the term Country encompasses all living things and all aspects of the environment, as well as the knowledge, cultural practices and responsibilities connected with this. The term contains complex ideas about law, place, custom, language, spiritual belief, material sustenance, family and identity. covers the area shown on this map created by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.
The neighbouring peoples are the Gundungurra to the north, the Ngarigo to the south, the Yuin on the coast, and the Wiradjuri inland.
A major aspect of Aboriginal people’s identity is their connection to CountryFor Aboriginal people, the term Country encompasses all living things and all aspects of the environment, as well as the knowledge, cultural practices and responsibilities connected with this. The term contains complex ideas about law, place, custom, language, spiritual belief, material sustenance, family and identity.. The 2021 Australian State of the Environment Report explains that
“… to Indigenous people, CountryFor Aboriginal people, the term Country encompasses all living things and all aspects of the environment, as well as the knowledge, cultural practices and responsibilities connected with this. The term contains complex ideas about law, place, custom, language, spiritual belief, material sustenance, family and identity. is so much more than the land, seas and waters. It encompasses all living things and all aspects of the environment, as well as the knowledge, cultural practices and responsibilities connected with this. A common view is that we belong to CountryFor Aboriginal people, the term Country encompasses all living things and all aspects of the environment, as well as the knowledge, cultural practices and responsibilities connected with this. The term contains complex ideas about law, place, custom, language, spiritual belief, material sustenance, family and identity., rather than CountryFor Aboriginal people, the term Country encompasses all living things and all aspects of the environment, as well as the knowledge, cultural practices and responsibilities connected with this. The term contains complex ideas about law, place, custom, language, spiritual belief, material sustenance, family and identity. belonging to us.”
The Ngunnawal people’s knowledge of CountryFor Aboriginal people, the term Country encompasses all living things and all aspects of the environment, as well as the knowledge, cultural practices and responsibilities connected with this. The term contains complex ideas about law, place, custom, language, spiritual belief, material sustenance, family and identity. has enabled them to thrive in the Canberra region for millennia. Looking after CountryFor Aboriginal people, the term Country encompasses all living things and all aspects of the environment, as well as the knowledge, cultural practices and responsibilities connected with this. The term contains complex ideas about law, place, custom, language, spiritual belief, material sustenance, family and identity. involves maintaining physical, social and spiritual relationships between people and the environment.
In the early 1800s, the Ngunnawal people’s capacity to care for CountryFor Aboriginal people, the term Country encompasses all living things and all aspects of the environment, as well as the knowledge, cultural practices and responsibilities connected with this. The term contains complex ideas about law, place, custom, language, spiritual belief, material sustenance, family and identity. changed with the arrival of Europeans. Many Aboriginal people in the region were forcibly moved to missions and reserves where European language, customs and religions displaced the DreamingDreamings represent the time when Ancestral Spirits moved through the land, creating life and important physical sites and formations. Dreamings are passed down and shared by many Aboriginal communities across Australia. Also referred to as Dreamtime or Dreaming. and Aboriginal Lore. As a result, lots of cultural knowledge was lost. However, families did their best to pass on their cultural knowledge to the next generation, and this important process continues today.
Passing on cultural knowledge
Aunty Loretta was born in Yass and spent her early life on the Hollywood Mission. She spent time away from home in Wurundjeri CountryFor Aboriginal people, the term Country encompasses all living things and all aspects of the environment, as well as the knowledge, cultural practices and responsibilities connected with this. The term contains complex ideas about law, place, custom, language, spiritual belief, material sustenance, family and identity. (Melbourne) before returning to live on the borders of Wiradjuri and Ngunnawal CountryFor Aboriginal people, the term Country encompasses all living things and all aspects of the environment, as well as the knowledge, cultural practices and responsibilities connected with this. The term contains complex ideas about law, place, custom, language, spiritual belief, material sustenance, family and identity. at Tumut. She now plays an important role in communicating culture.
She remembers the difficult conditions under which her family and community lived on the Missions, but she also remembers the passing on of cultural knowledge. She recalls her father taking the children around to all the rabbit traps that he had set, barefoot on the frosty mornings, and she remembers helping him skin the rabbits. She recalls him fishing late in the evening, “when the fish get sleepy.” As children, they weren’t allowed to make any noise. The fish would come in closer to the bank, and her father would reach down and scoop them out onto the banks. “He was so fast with his hands. We’d make a fire amongst the rocks and cook the fish.”
Her father taught her about the stars and the moon and the trees. He said the trees “talk to each other, they connect with each other.” A lot of that knowledge is coming back to her, just like the language. “People always said, as you get older you’ll start remembering the language. And it’s true, I’ll be walking around, and a word comes into my head. It’s wonderful.”
The knowledge held by Traditional Custodians is precious, and provides vital insights into how our environment works. Respectful engagement with Traditional Custodians will help governments to adopt more sustainable ways of caring for Australia.
