Recalling Absent Knowledge: A Discussion of Aboriginal Representation in Wildlife Tourism and Land Management
By Blanca Peto
Sleeping koala at Featherdale Wildlife Park
Wildlife tourism contributes significantly to Australia's tourism industry. The incredible array of exclusive species found in the area fascinates tourists. With all of the zoos and wildlife tours in Australia (over 70 zoos and wildlife sanctuaries scattered across the country) not to mention emu or crocodile farms, river cruises, or reef trips, Australia hosts ample opportunity to discover more about the animals of the area.
However, with all the various, unique wildlife in exhibits, there is little to no discussion or presentation of Aboriginal wildlife knowledge. Indigenous interpretations and knowledge of nature and the wildlife in the area, is crucial for the development of ecotourism in Australia, by providing cultural links with the environment (2). However, Aboriginal wisdom is minimal at wildlife parks and zoos (2). Signs, pamphlets, as well as animal demonstrations and talks discuss biological aspects of animals and conservation efforts (2) but only minimally discuss knowledge cultivated for generations by Aboriginal people. Unless directly receiving a question from a tourist, Aboriginal thoughts and expertise regarding animals remain poorly represented in mainstream Australian wildlife exhibits.
Although Aboriginal people have knowledge and culture associated with the wildlife, acquired through thousands of years of living and interacting with the land, there is little discussion of this knowledge in public settings, such as zoos, or wildlife safaris. That being said, there are many benefits to including indigenous knowledge in depicting animals. By providing information directly from individuals who have extensive knowledge, indigenous staff have the opportunity to counter stereotypes and misinterpretations, adding value and cultural diversity to wildlife attractions and wildlife tourism as a whole (2). Furthermore, there are developments in employment opportunities, providing more indigenous people a chance to talk about their own cultural traditions as well as expression in art, music and traditional knowledge about the animals into formal settings. Knowledge from a cultural perspective is beneficial, in not only creating a more representative and tolerant environment to discuss cultures but also in integrating a well-rounded representation of animals by adding to the mainstream biological knowledge.
In certain sectors of Australian tourism and management there is improper representation and opportunity. Fortunately, some areas are more successful in embracing the beliefs and knowledge of Aboriginal people. Indigenous people who own land often face challenges of invasive, feral fauna, and other changes that have occurred to the species diversity in the area (1). However, since knowledge has been accumulated over thousands of years, indigenous insight is a vital tool for responding to the impacts of invasive species. In the Northern region of Australia, some domesticated animals have become feral, populations exceeding the preferable number and causing some damage and displacing native animals that Aboriginal people have used in the past. Water buffalo and pigs, brought by European settlers, pose an environmental risk to the ecosystem by damaging waterways, eating flora in agricultural and harvesting areas, sacred/religious sites, and taking over territory and habitat. However, while both animals cause damage, the relationship with them is different as a result of integrating past wisdom in evaluating the animal in question.
The Jawoyn community of the Northern region of Australia, draw on a complex mix of indigenous laws, ecological knowledge and historical experience to manage and respond to the threats and impacts of these introduced animals (1). Water buffalo, one of the invasive faunae in question, was recognized as a concern, due to the damage
they have caused to local habitats and sacred sites. However, the Jawoyn community believe that despite the damage created, these animals “belong” to the country (1). Providing food to share with large numbers of people reduces conflict among themselves who all have rights and traditional ties to the area where the buffalo was killed. Furthermore, discussions with the Jawoyn people have revealed that the species has become relevant to spiritual beliefs, becoming integrated in Dreaming (symbolic time when Aboriginal ancestral spirits created life and geological and geographic formations, similar to a “creation story”).
The buffalo have become a part of the history and culture for the Jawoyn. Management of the buffalo has created an opportunity for other cultural practices, such as burning, to return. Burning, developed over thousands of years to facilitates hunting, travel, and promotes the integrity of the habitats within the landscapes (1). Aboriginal management of the water buffalo has incorporated local knowledge to benefit not only the Jawoyn people but also the natural environment.
In contrast to water buffalo, pigs are viewed as a threat to the health of the landscape and damage other sources of bush tucker (food) for indigenous people. Pigs continually damage important sites, such as harvesting grounds, historical and sacred sites, in their search for food sources. By causing damage, the relationship between the local people and country is impaired. A Jawoyn individual remarked that the pigs ‘make places empty,’ so that other living organisms that are also reliant on the area are harmed or killed (1). Children and women are chased out of the areas, limiting the interactions people have with the landscape, and thus limiting cultural practices. In the discussion of pigs and water buffalo management, understanding the landscape, as the Jawoyn people have for thousands of years, is critical in maintaining populations of these feral animals. Understanding the different values, cultural associations of feral animal species and the damage they create provides opportunity of different management techniques.
Incorporating and representing indigenous knowledge in tourism and management settings hasn’t always been in the forefront of Australian culture. For decades, Aboriginal communities, although incredibly diverse, each having their own beliefs and knowledge of the surrounding area, have been repressed in the demonstration of their culture.
From how zoos and wildlife tours today lack in integrating thousands of years’ worth of information into pamphlets and displays or the lack of representation in co-lead tourist cultural parks, Australia’s indigenous people remain in the background of the discussion of a land and animals that they have had a relationship with for hundreds of generations. However, there is still hope. As climate change and invasive species overtake native habitats, alternative opportunities to include Aboriginal knowledge gains momentum. Aboriginal representation can provide skills and techniques that will help mitigate these complex land management issues in coming years. As Aboriginal people slowly regain ancestral lands, after hundreds of years of severe alteration by European colonizers, there is opportunity to integrate thousands of years’ expertise to create not only a better functioning natural landscape, but society.
Scuba divers in between the Great Barrier Reef
Works Cited
(1) Robinson, C. J., Smyth, D. & Whitehead, P. J. (2005) Bush Tucker, Bush Pets, and Bush Threats: Cooperative Management of Feral Animals in Australia’s Kakadu National Park. Conservation Biology (19) (5) 1385-1391
(2) Zeppel, H. & Muloin, S. (2008). Aboriginal Interpretation in Australian Wildlife Tourism. Journal of Ecotourism, (7)(2-3), 116-136.