Handing on the right to fish: the law of the land and cross-cultural co-operation in a gulf community in Australia

Abstract

Drawing on oral and written sources, this paper discusses an Aboriginal community's experience in taking primary responsibility for land and waters on behalf of the generations. It explores the reasons why Aboriginal people's distinctive relationship to the environment and to future generations forms a framework for their management practices. Respect for the law of the land became the pre-condition for more than a decade of co-operation with neighbouring commercial fishermen and others. Given a recognition of important cultural differences in the way relationships to land and sea are constructed, it is suggested that these experiences may offer some guidelines on sharing lands and coasts in Australia.