Precious Sea

20 April 2011 | 0:00 - By

Anindilyakwa elders shared their fears with video journalist Allan Clarke.

sea mining still 4_422003484

Anindilyakwa Elders

Sitting in the Gulf of Carpentaria, near Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, Groote Eylandt is surrounded by some of the most pristine waters in Australia.

Teeming with life, the gulf is home to pods of dolphins, sharks, turtles and dugong, for Anindilyakwa people the waters are an intrinsic part of cultural life.

They believe invisible songlines criss-cross the water, connecting Groote to the mainland.

Songlines are like roads on a map: the songs contain directions, reveal sacred locations and ceremony sites and act as a pathway for spirits.

But these waters are not only valuable to the Anindilyakwa. There is believed to be a vast amount of manganese, a trace mineral commonly added to steel and iron to strengthen them, in the sea bed surrounding Groote.

These reserves could be worth billions of dollars and companies have been quick to take out leases for future exploration and mining.

The idea of the area being disturbed has distressed Anindilyakwa elders. They say that if operations go ahead their songlines will be gone forever.

While they have native title over the island, meaning they have a say in what happens on the land, this does not extend to the sea.

Thus with no real power to stop any future mining ventures in the Gulf, elders feel disempowered and are terrified customs that have remained unchanged for thousands of years will suddenly be destroyed.

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Comments (6)

28 Apr 2011 1:10 AEST

luke black

From: darwin

groote

hello kris your white and im black i know were my heart is and it's with the TO's (Nancy) .that's right gemco has supplied all of the jobs or most of ,when you see them next ask them how the water management plan is going..........that's right they don't have one!!

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27 Apr 2011 22:02 AEST

Kristyne Love

From: Groote Eylandt

Save our Seas from Sea bed mining.

Nobody here feels SORRY FOR THEMSELVES- what a croc..... the Anindilyakwa people don't want their song lines destroyed or their waters where they have hunted for thousands of years. The waters here are pristine and full of sea animals, why should there homes be destroyed for the greed of the $... We have enough jobs here now.

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24 Apr 2011 23:52 AEST

luke black

From: darwin

WTF

sorry i dont agree with the story ,what about the oil and gas industry of our shores here in darwin nothing is said about that it create's job!! and give people a chance to break free and so we can stand on our own two feet,STOP THIS FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF!!we do this all the time it's always someone else fault.if we continue this way of life we will not have a our future for our generation.wake up. let it be mined so it can create hope. what is worst oil/gas or prawn fishing or mining??

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21 Apr 2011 14:13 AEST

ken bindle

From: melbourne

saving a place i love

the goverment must make this whole area a national park..

Agree (10 people agree)    Disagree (48 people disagree) Report this
 

21 Apr 2011 14:13 AEST

ken bindle

From: melbourne

saving a place i love

the goverment must make this whole area a national park..

Agree (5 people agree)    Disagree (41 people disagree) Report this
 

21 Apr 2011 11:09 AEST

Aunty Gwendolyn

From: WA

good story

Looking forward to this story. Allan Clarke is deadly.

Agree (8 people agree)    Disagree (8 people disagree) Report this
 

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