A tale of two rivers – Baaka and Martuwarra, Australia: Shared voices and art towards water justice

William Brian Bates, Long Chu, Hozaus Claire, Matthew J. Colloff, Robert Cotton, Ruby Davies, Libby Larsen, Glenn Loughrey, Ana Manero, Virginia Marshall, Sarah Martin, Nhat Mai Nguyen, William Nikolakis, Anne Poelina, Daniel Schulz, Katherine Selena Taylor, John Williams, Paul Wyrwoll, R. Quentin Grafton*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    3 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Two of Australia’s iconic river systems, Baaka in New South Wales (NSW) and Martuwarra in Western Australia (WA), are described in a narrative that connects Indigenous custodianship, bio-physical features and art, and contrasts settler law with First Law to provide multiple ways of seeing the two river systems. Our narrative is a shared response to: (1) upstream water extractions that have imposed large costs on Baaka and its peoples; and (2) threats of water extractions and developments to Martuwarra. By scribing the voices of the two river systems, we have created a space to reimagine an emerging future that connects the past and present through the concept of ‘EveryWhen’, where First Law has primacy, and where art connects Indigenous knowledges to non-Indigenous understanding. Through a dialogue process with Indigenous knowledge holders, artists and water researchers, five action processes, or journeys, are identified to guide water decision making towards water justice.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)228-261
    Number of pages34
    JournalAnthropocene Review
    Volume11
    Issue number1
    Early online date18 Jul 2023
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Apr 2024

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