Country

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Country* is its own spiritual entity and many of us refer to her as our “Mother”. We operate with the understanding that we do not own Country, Country owns us; we belong to her and we are not separate from her. When we refer to Country we are referring to all aspects of the natural world including the earth, water, air and sky among many other things. Through Country we understand that all things are connected and every element of Country, living and non-living, human and non-human species, relies on each other for survival and protection. Nothing exists on its own and all thoughts, words and actions impact every other element of Country. We do not see Country as a set of resources to be exploited, rather, we have a deep and complex reciprocal relationship with Country grounded in the fundamental belief that if we look after Country, Country will look after us. 

Our relationship to Country is the basis for our overarching epistemologies (ways of being), axiologies (ways doing) and ontologies (ways of thinking) which is reflected in our expressions of culture, stories, language, song and dance. There is no aspect of life that is not reliant upon Country and our respect and reverence for Country reflects this deep and enduring connection with our Mother and life source. 

*Country is always capitalised as it is a proper noun in this context

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PEOPLE AND IDEAS

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TEXTS

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• Country, Bawaka, Sarah Wright, Sandie Suchet-Pearson, Kate Lloyd, Laklak Burarrwanga, Ritjilili Ganambarr, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, Banbapuy Ganambarr, Djawundil Maymuru, and Jill Sweeney. “Co-Becoming Bawaka: Towards a Relational Understanding of Place/space.” Progress in human geography 40, no. 4 (2016): 455–475. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132515589437
  
  
• Country, Bawaka, Sarah Wright, Sandie Suchet-Pearson, Kate Lloyd, Laklak Burarrwanga, Ritjilili Ganambarr, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, Banbapuy Ganambarr, and Djawundil Maymuru. “Working with and Learning from Country: Decentring Human Authority.” Cultural geographies 22, no. 2 (2015): 269–283. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474474014539248
  
  
• Fredericks, Bronwyn. “‘We Don’t Leave Our Identities at the City Limits’: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Living in Urban Localities.” Australian aboriginal studies, no. 1 (2013): 4–16.
  
  
• Foster, Shannon, and Joanne Paterson Kinniburgh. “There’s No Place Like (Without) Country.” In Placemaking Fundamentals for the Built Environment, 63–82. Singapore: Springer Singapore, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9624-4_4
  
  
• Ford, Payi Linda. Aboriginal Knowledge, Narratives & Country : Marri Kunkimba Putj Putj Marrideyan. Mt Gravatt, Qld: Post Pressed, 2010.
  
  
• Harrison, Neil, Frances Bodkin, Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews, and Elizabeth Mackinlay. “Sensational Pedagogies: Learning to Be Affected by Country.” Curriculum inquiry 47, no. 5 (2017): 504–519. https://doi.org/10.1080/03626784.2017.1399257
  
  
• Wright, Sarah, Kate Lloyd, Sandie Suchet-Pearson, Laklak Burarrwanga, Matalena Tofa, and Bawaka Country. “Telling Stories in, through and with Country: Engaging with Indigenous and More-Than-Human Methodologies at Bawaka, NE Australia.” Journal of cultural geography 29, no. 1 (2012): 39–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/08873631.2012.646890
  
  
  

AUDIO

VIDEO

Ngara was collaboratively created by Shannon Foster, Jo Kinniburgh (partners at Bangawarra), Amanda Harris, Christopher Coady and Laura Case.

Filming and video editing by Cornel Ozies Iman Irannejad, additional video recording by Jodie Kell, additional video editing by Jade Guadalupe. 

Original artwork by Shannon Foster.

Thanks to all participants: Rhiannon Brownbill, Chloe Ngelebe Ford, Emily Tyaemaen Ford, Payi Linda Ford, Shannon Foster, Amanda Harris, Eden Tjunggalamuriny Harkins-Ford, Jo Kinniburgh, Matte McConnell, Nathan Mudyi Sentance, Nardi Simpson, and Jacinta Tobin.

This resource was funded by One Sydney, Many People Project Funding from the University of Sydney’s Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Indigenous Strategy and Services.