Martuwarra Fitzroy River Watershed: One society, one river law

• Martuwarra, RiverOfLife ,

  ¶The Martuwarra, River Of Life, is a living Ancestor Being, whose creation stories underpin Kimberley Aboriginal people’s lawful, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, and thousands of years of customary practices for Yi-Martuwarra people, the people of the river. The discipline of environmental humanities looks at how both humans and non-humans can come together to protect the environment for humanity and the world. This multi-species approach transcends the usual boundaries of science, humanities, culture and nature, and in doing so illustrate the concept of “nature-cultures” described by Bruno Latour (2013, available from https://ecomig2014.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/178919402-latour-bruno-an-inquiry-into-modes-of-existence-an-anthropology-of-the-moderns-pdf.pdf)—creating a “sympoesis” (Haraway, 2016—DOI: https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822373780) which enables multiple actors, both human and non-human, to effect change at a global level. In view of this, the Martuwarra is credited as First Author for Country, and the protection of Country, is the central tenet of this paper—without Country, without the River, and its complex, multi-layered, and ever-evolving inter-relationships with its custodians, there would not be a paper.

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• Anne Poelina,

  Roles Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Methodology, Resources, Writing – original draft

  Affiliation Indigenous Studies, Nulungu Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Broome, Western Australia, Australia

  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6461-7681

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• Magali McDuffie ,

  Roles Methodology, Resources, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

  * E-mail: magali.mcduffie@sae.edu.au

  Affiliation Education Partnerships, SAE Creative Institute, Navitas, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4628-2918

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• Marlikka Perdrisat

  Roles Conceptualization, Methodology, Resources, Writing – review & editing

  Affiliation Law Faculty, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

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