Traditional water owners from the northern Murray Darling Basin gathered in Moree in June for three days to, as Aunty Polly Cutmore, a Gamilaraay Traditional Owner put it, “enforce our existing connections to water and Country”.

The Gamilaroi Water Carriers, a new First Nations women-led group, drew 40 elders to discuss cultural and personal connections to local rivers and the challenges regarding water rights and environmental degradation. They said the government needs to recognise First Nations’ cultural rights and pay compensation for historic dispossession.

The group was brought together by Cutmore, a water rights campaigner and a founder of the Mehi Centre. She was a member of the Boobera Lagoon Crown Land Committee, the NSW Gwydir First Nations Environmental Water Group and participated in the advisory group of the Murray Darling Basin Aboriginal Water Entitlements Program.

“We’ve been intentionally left out when decisions are made about water and we are calling for the recognition of Aboriginal cultural rights and compensation for historic dispossession,” Cutmore said.

“We have to bring our cultural law back. Look what they have done to our river — our river is dying, and we have a cultural obligation to care for it.” She said the Elders represented the Gamilaroi, Wiriyaroi, Wiradjuri, Bigambul, Ngarabul and Kwiambul nations “to enforce our existing connections to water and Country”.

The Elders shared personal histories of living by the river, the hardships of daily survival and the pride in maintaining traditions. They discussed water theft, pollution from cotton farming, the lack of compensation and concerns that over-irrigation was leading to local rivers dying, possibly within five years.

“Irrigation has destroyed the ecosystems that support the river and it’s killing us,” said Aunty Marlene Weribone, who grew up and raised her family on the Mehi River. She said as every living being depends on water, Aboriginal women need to continue collective action to reclaim what has been taken to protect future generations.

“We, the Elders of this Country, have never been told about what is going on with our rivers … Decisions have driven the ongoing theft and alienation from Country and culture. Compensation must now be a priority,” said Sheila French, a Gamilaroi Elder.

French highlighted women’s resilience in carrying water and keeping families going, and called for united action by........

© Green Left Weekly