Relationship, responsibility & respect

Relationship

• Aboriginal people believe that at the time of creation Ancestral Spirits made epic journeys across a barren earth creating the geographical features of the landscape.

• The Ancestral Spirits created laws to govern every aspect of Aboriginal life and attributed ongoing custodianship of the land to local groups.

• This is the 'connectedness' to the land, the essence of Aboriginal spirituality, which underpins the unique relationship with the land.

Responsibility

• Traditional owners or custodians of the land have the responsibility for looking after the environmental, cultural and spiritual wellbeing of the land.

• This is referred to as 'Caring for Country'. It is important to acknowledge that the local Aboriginal community are custodians of the land and Indigenous culture of the area.

Respect

• Aboriginal belief system and cultural teachings instil respect for the land, elders, kinship, sustainable use of the land and for every living thing.

• For Aboriginal people, the heritage value of the landscape is largely associated with Creation events and places: a site may not have remarkable geographical features.