Something Deep Within Us
Today, the Meriam remain very much a sea people. The power of the sea gives them strength both in life and death, and is present at the very moment a person passes from this life to the next.
For this is the time a "real Murray Islander" performs the unique movements of the totem, or creature, to whom they are matched.
These creatures are almost all from the sea and this explains why the Murray Islanders' tie with the sea is a realm of profound, aesthetic emotion.
"It is something deep within us", says Meriam land and sea owner, Gobedar Noah.
And it's given expression in song and dance.
For this is the time a "real Murray Islander" performs the unique movements of the totem, or creature, to whom they are matched.
These creatures are almost all from the sea and this explains why the Murray Islanders' tie with the sea is a realm of profound, aesthetic emotion.
"It is something deep within us", says Meriam land and sea owner, Gobedar Noah.
And it's given expression in song and dance.
Belonging To Country
Topic
aborigines, Australia, dreamtime, indigenous Australians, land ownership, land rights, sacred
Sea Claims
Topic
Federal Government, Australia, fish traps, fishing, Great Barrier Reef, Meriam culture, sacred, sea rights
