Aboriginal Footprints In The Littoral Zone: A Study Of Bioregions In Select Short Stories Of Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker)

Abstract

The land is a part of indigenous people's everyday life and identity. People and cultures are deeply rooted in the land. The coloniser’s/whites’ relationship with the land is anthropocentric, whereas the Aborigines’ relationship is ecocentric.  The Aborigines of Australia have a distinct culture that deals with the land in a biocentric way. Aborigines have world views, creation stories, beliefs, practices and myths rooted in Australia's unique bioregions. In Noonuccal’s “Dugong Coming”, Aborigines’ relationship with marine life and their unique hunting laws shows their holistic way of dealing with the sea and its creatures. The story is set on Stradbroke Island of Australia, once stocked with natural beauty. The indigenous epistemologies and worldviews are significant to modern culture, essentially to address today's ecological concerns.