country

Aboriginal heritage sites in WA are managed through different channels to non-Indigenous cultural sites, to their detriment. While non-Indigenous heritage is managed by a network of professionals across all levels of government, Aboriginal heritage is managed by a section in the Department of Aboriginal Affairs.

Two film makers are exploring the vital role Aboriginal transport played in the Victorian economy. Seeing the Land from an Aboriginal Canoe is a documentary film which explores the significant contribution of the stringybark canoe. The filmmakers were inspired by historian, Dr David 'Fred' Cahir, who specialises in forgotten Indigenous history. They were particularly drawn to his research into the stringybark canoe and its role in Victoria's waterways. In the film, Dr Cahir said most Aboriginal history was about violence and massacres, and not the Aboriginal contribution. [node:read-more:link]

Reports of deceased names used and Aboriginal people have been turned away from polling places in various places because their names are no longer on the membership roll despite having voted in the 2011 NSW Aboriginal Land Council election. Potential voters were turned away. We need to establish a register of how many people were actually turned away on the voting day and other irregularities. In this regard people can contact the Sovereign Union Facebook message system and tell your story. [node:read-more:link]

Archaeologists and Aboriginal elders are hoping the most comprehensive study of rock art in the Kimberley region will confirm the images are among the oldest made by humans anywhere in the world. More than a dozen scientists took part in two field trips to study remote faces on Dambimangari and Balanggarra country. They used pioneering techniques to collect and analyse hundreds of samples to narrow down the timeframes in which the striking images of people, animals and shells were made. Professor Peter Veth, from the University of Western Australia, said they were expecting to have the first results through by the end of the year. [node:read-more:link]

According to a duo of Australian scientists, Aboriginal society has preserved memories of Australia’s coastline dating back to 11,000 – 5,300 BC.

Ancient Indigenous Australian bush-burning could be used around the world to radically cut greenhouse gas emissions, according to United Nations research, which also challenges Prime Minister Tony Abbott's refusal to embrace the purchase of international carbon credits. Abbott has previously said buying overseas offsets sends money "offshore into dodgy carbon farms in Equatorial Guinea and Kazakhstan".

The government this month delayed considering the measure until 2017 or later, saying it would rather make cuts domestically. [node:read-more:link]

Researchers are calling for the dog fence to be moved as an experiment that looks at ways to protect threatened native species and increase biodiversity. University of Sydney researcher Dr Thomas Newsome said the apex predator could play an important part in managing feral pests who prey on wildlife. "Our study is really tailored to helping to resolve the ongoing debate about whether the dingo can provide positive benefits to ecosystems that have suffered overgrazing of kangaroos and emus, as well as predation by introduced species such as feral cats and red foxes." [node:read-more:link]

An Aboriginal elder in Central Australia has shed tears of joy upon the rediscovery of a sacred site lost for the past 70 years. Previous attempts to find the Tanami Desert site, known as Kurlpurlunu, had proved fruitless until Warlpiri elders, George Jungarrayi Ryder and Molly Nappururla Tasman flew over the area in a helicopter last week. The elderly pair had visited the site as children and recognised some of the features, including a distinctive tree and a rock. The site's identity was confirmed by 82-year-old Jerry Jangala. [node:read-more:link]