Country of the Yorta Yorta language community

Blackwater is oxygen-depleted water caused by the decay of organic matter. The decay process darkens the water and the oxygen in the water is consumed, sometimes at a rate faster than it can be replenished. This can result in a low level of dissolved…

The often sporadic water flows throughout the Murray-Darling Basin have seen the implementation of man-made barriers such as weirs and dams to help control the flows. This, teamed with an increased use of the river - particularly for agricultural…

Aboriginal fish traps are made with rocks or small boulders that have been placed strategically in a flowing waterway that forms a trap. The arrangement allows the flow of water to pass through, with an opening large enough for a fish or other…

Indigenous kinship systems are complex structures of social organisation that determine ones behaviour, responsibilities, rights and identity within their clan. This system is very important in Indigenous life as it provides the foundation upon which…

Scarred trees are formed when the bark of a tree is carefully removed. The scarred section resembles an open 'wound' in the side where the bark was taken, and this becomes drier as the tree ages. Aboriginal people then use the bark to create useful…

A strategic and precise arrangement of rocks, that when viewed from specific angles, their alignment with certain celestial objects signifies important seasonal events. These events are significant to Aboriginal peoples' life and could indicate, for…

Cultural flows are the intrinsic and ancestral water rights of Aboriginal Nations. Water plays an important role in Aboriginal peoples’ lives, particularly spiritually and culturally, where its power as a life force must be respected.

Cultural…

A document written by Richard Kennedy, kindly provided in addition to his oral history interview with the Talking Fish research team.

Richard is a Ngiyampaa Aboriginal man residing in Wodonga, Victoria. Born in 1959, Richard grew up on the Lachlan…

An informal interview with Paul Wheeler. No audio or transcript of oral history was deposited by researchers. Images taken on the day by the Talking Fish project team.