In January 2008, a delegation of Indigenous land and sea
managers from Australia visited Mexico to attend the 2008 Symposium
on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation, and to participate in a
cultural exchange with the Comcaac or ‘Seri Indian’
people.
The event was made possible through partnerships between the
North Australian Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA), the
Torres Strait Regional Authority, Dhimurru Land Management
Aboriginal Corporation, James Cook University and the United States
organisation, Ocean Revolution. Funding for the delegate’s
travel was provided by The Christensen Fund and James Cook
University.
The report titled "Oceans Apart; United in Action" was prepared
by the Australian delegation for The Christensen Fund. A Spanish
language version was produced for the Mexican government.
Introductory paragraph from the report: The sea cultures of
Indigenous people from coastal northern Australia and Mexico may be
oceans apart, but for the Australian Indigenous land and sea
managers who attended the 2008 Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and
Conservation in Mexico, the 15,000 km journey revealed as many
similarities as there were differences.
Words by Djawa Yunupingu, Director Dhimurru Land Management
Aboriginal Corporation; Frank Loban, Dugong and Turtle Project
Liaison Officer for TSRA/NAILSMA and JCU Masters student; Kenny
Bedford, TSRA/NAILSMA Project Officer Erub Island; and Stephen
Ambar, Head Community Ranger Hammond Island, and Josh Kitchens,
Project Communication Officer.
Pictures by Kenny Bedford and Frank Loban.
Compiled by the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea
Management Alliance.
