Waddananggu | Stand with Traditional Owners to stop work on the Carmichael Coal Mine and protect country

Our Songlines would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land we work and live. We acknowledge their ongoing spiritual connection to the land, water and culture. We acknowledge their ongoing fight and resistance, and we pay our respects to all elders past, present and emerging.

Waddamuli. My name is Amy. I am a non-Indigenous ally originally from Wurundjeri country. I have been against this mine and all new coal since the beginning of the destructive Bravus (rebranded from Adani) Carmichael coal mine proposal over 5 years ago now, and I am honoured to join to stand with the Wangan and Jagalingou people because I believe in protecting Aboriginal sites, protecting water, land rights and looking after Mother Nature, as she looks after us. Information in this piece has been given permission to be shared by the Traditional Owners at Waddananggu whilst visiting in October 2021, and I am honoured to share my experience.

Traditional Custodians: Wangan and Jagalingou people

Language: Wirdi (recorded as language which belongs to the Pama-Nyugan family of Aboriginal languages)

Dreaming: Rainbow Serpent / Mundangarra The dreaming of this country in Central Queensland is the rainbow serpent (Mundangarra) who created the environment. Mundangarra came up from under the ground and travelled in through the land to create the mountains, rivers and animals. The sacred Doongmabulla springs is connected to the dreaming of this land, which is being harmed by Adani’s practises. 

Totems: The Wangan and Jagalingou people have many kin totems including the Dagayn (sand goanna) around Clermont, the Eel (Wagal) around the Belyando and the the Gundulu (emu), which connects them to all other First Nations through Central Queensland (source: Wirdi).

Frontline camp: Waddananggu – means in Wirdi language ‘The Talking’

As I drove through this mine site before arriving at the W and J camp, I felt a lot of emotions wave over me. The drive consists of dirt roads, mining trucks, cattle grids, and an eye-saw of a railway line which is going to export the coal from the mine site. I saw parrots and birds flying above me; kangaroos (woo-ra) jumped in front of my car, emus walked peacefully beside the road. Nature wants to thrive here, but we are depleting the earth, we are being greedy and selfish, and we are extracting when we should be giving back. The experience was surreal, disheartening and scary to see that our government and my people have stood by and allowed this to occur. I am just one person feeling this, I am a white Australian who is deeply connected to nature. I felt pain on this drive, I felt anger from mother earth, and I felt shame. But I will never be as connected to country as a First Nations Australian, and I will never understand this pain from a First Nation’s perspective that is part of this land. When will we listen to the people of the land?

When I arrived at the camp, I was met by Wangan and Jagalingou Cultural Custodian, Coedie. The first step on country was to be smoked. This is done every time you leave country and return, in order to take away the negative spirits, cleanse and ask permission from the country you’re on, to be there and be welcomed to that country. Traditionally, you are asked to remove all jewelry, hats and sunglasses so that nothing material touches the sacred fire. There is always one Indigenous person in the fire circle representing and continuing the ceremony. When I arrived at the site, the cultural ceremony had been taking place for 55 days. As I am writing this and publishing this article, the ceremony has now been going for over 365 days. 

About W&J Standing Our Ground

The Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Custodians have ties connected in the Galilee Basin in Central Queensland. This sacred land consists of a thermal coal basin that Adani is determined to mine. It would be the largest coal mine in Australia if built to completion. In the words of the W&J Campaign, “Traditional Owners are even more determined.” The sovereign Wangan and Jagalingou people maintain a constant presence on Country to care for their sacred lands and waters. 

One Year of Reoccupation Celebrations

“Over 150 people from across the continent and the world have gathered at Waddananggu to celebrate one year of Reoccupation of Adani’s mining lease on Wangan and Jagalingou Country. The success of this gathering is an example of the support that exists for Waddananggu, and of the inspiration that this remote Ceremony brings to people everywhere.”

The message from Traditional Owners is clear “Adani – don’t destroy our land and our culture.”

You can join them on country here.

Aboriginal culture is spirit. It is connection to country, and living with the elements, animals and the land – as a provider instead of something to destroy from greed and money. When I live with the land, like I was at Waddananggu, you get to know the cycles quite quickly. You wake up just before the sun and enjoy that cool breeze before it gets too hot. The birds awaken. I lie there and listen to the kookaburras (kowaburra) sing. The sun rises in the same place each morning and the moon rises in its same place. The wind howls, the clouds grow darker, and the black cockatoo flies above, and you know that the rain is coming. It’s a routine. The kangaroos cross the road at the same time every evening around 5pm. The sun sets about 630pm. If there’s a full moon out, you don’t need a torch. The rain comes down hard and fast and then stops. You feel relieved for a little bit. The ants come out in their armies when it is hot. What do you notice when you live with nature? Whilst I was at Adani, maybe from the combination of camping next to an open cut mine site and the plastering heat in October, I awoke to blood noses every morning. This is not a normal thing for me. When it got too hot, we cooled off in the sacred dam and I felt recharged. I spent my time reading books about unlearning Australia’s systemic racist ways, birdnerding, and contemplating why we are still continuing to decimate sacred sites against our First Nations Cultural wishes, and against mother nature. We are destroying her because it’s ‘what we’ve always done’, even though we have more solutions now. 

“We know what our rights and responsibilities are on Country. We have the right to maintain and strengthen our spiritual relationship with our lands and waters and fulfil our responsibilities to pass on our law and culture to our future generations. We must be on Country to do that.” – W&J cultural leader and Jagalingou Traditional Custodian, Adrian Burragubba (source: Wangan and Jagalingou Family Council)

The Bravus/Adani Carmichael mine cold facts: 

 

What’s effected

-Air quality

-Biodiversity

-Birds and animals

-Water pollution

-Sacred culture

-Sustainability

-Ocean Pollution 

If built, Bravus/Adani Carmichael coal mine will:

• Likely drive some of our rare birds and animals to extinction, including the southern black throated finch, yakka skink and ornamental snake. Extinction is forever.
• Destroy the ancestral lands, waters and cultures of Indigenous people without their consent.
• Have unlimited use of Queensland’s precious groundwater for 60 years, for free.
• Risk damaging aquifers of the Great Artesian Basin.
• Allow 500 more coal ships to travel through the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area every year for 60 years.
• Add 4.6 billion tonnes of carbon pollution to our atmosphere. (source: Mackay Conservation Group)

Birds and wildlife I witnessed on the Bravus/Adani mining lease site and nearby during my time there (within 50km)
-Kangaroo
-Emu
-Forest Kingfisher
-Laughing Kookaburra
-Willie wagtail
-Lemon bellied flycatcher
-Red tailed black cockatoo
-Rainbow bee eater
-Raven
-Heron
-Honeyeater
-Yellow crimson rosella

Note: The endangered Black Throated Finches were estimated to be at 100 before Adani. After the mine lease was entered, no one has recorded seeing any black throated finches on the site.

There are also artefacts on this site which are thousands of years old. 

Image: Stone tools

Climate justice will not happen without First Nations justice – they are intertwined. We know that everything is connected. From the drains, to the oceans, to the river systems. From mother earth, to spirit, to country – to protecting land rights. We need to make conscious choices because everything we choose to destroy, and everything we choose to protect makes a difference. All of this beautiful life intertwines like tree branches growing together. 

During times of sitting around the ceremonial fire and yarning, Coedie was asked about some of the actions we can take to be a good ally, he answered “Learn as much about the land and the people where you call home.” Do you know what land you walk on? If you don’t, I ask you to look it up now. I then invite you to learn the language native to your area, and connect to that land. I then ask you to protect love, conserve and stand up to protect sacred Australia. 

You can learn more about the Wirdi language here: https://wirdi.com.au/ 

Join the WJ campaign here: here. 

Donate to the campaign here.

Learn more about protecting sacred sites in Australia here.

Stop Bravus/Adani here.

Wirdi language

Gurri – Sun
Mundangarra – Rainbow Serpent 
Gaba (said kub-bah) – Bee
Kowaburra – Kookaburra
Waya – Wallaby
Gummoo gummoo-rain
Gamu/gummoo- water
Woorah – Kangaroo
Yuga – Eat
Waddamuli – Talk Again

Source: Wirdi language dictionary

References:

-Wirdi language website https://wirdi.com.au/ 

-Amy’s experience on country October 2021

-https://www.mackayconservationgroup.org.au/stop_adani

Images:

Taken and copyright of Amy Tobin 2021