Unbroken whispers – The ripples connecting Sea-Kin

Overview

This fact sheet summarises the Marine and Coastal Hub project ‘Unbroken whispers: The ripples connecting Sea-Kin’ led by University of Wollongong Indigenous researchers Dr Chels Marshall (Gumbaynggirr), Dr Jodi Edwards (Walbanja/Yuin), and Ngarrindjeri cinematographer Natalia Baechtold.

‘Unbroken whispers’ refers to the cultural knowledge about cetacean-Aboriginal relationships passed through generations across millennia. The ‘ripples’ are the deep principles that underpin these sacred connections. The ‘Theory of Cultural Relational Value’ underpins the approach taken to this research, recognising that there is value in living systems, not only in objects.

The project included a literature review, on-Country case studies, intergenerational knowledge transfer and implications for conservation policy, with a focus on the southern whale, humpback whale, orca and dolphins in south-eastern Australia.