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People of the Rainforest
Rainforest Aboriginal people are the original
owners of the Wet Tropics rainforests and have been since time immemorial.
There are more than 20 Aboriginal tribal groups with ongoing traditional
connections to land in and near the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.
The traditional estate boundaries are different to the boundaries
of the World Heritage Area. Each group has customary obligations
for management of their country under Aboriginal law.
Connection to Country
To Rainforest Aboriginal people, the Wet Tropics
World Heritage Area is a series of complex "living" cultural
landscapes. This means that natural features are interwoven with
Rainforest Aboriginal people's religion, spirituality, economic
use (including food, medicines, tools) and social and moral organisation.
However, the cultural landscape is more than dots
on a map representing isolated heritage sites. The landscape identifies
Rainforest Aboriginal peoples' place within their country and reinforces
their ongoing customary laws and connection to country. The country
is therefore embedded with enormous meaning and significance to
its Traditional Owners. 
Story places (natural features such as mountains,
rivers, waterfalls, swimming holes, trees) are parts of the Wet
Tropics landscape that are important to Rainforest Aboriginal people
as they symbolise features that were created during the ancestral
creation period (sometimes called the "Dreaming" or the
"Dreamtime"). These places have powerful meaning and properties.
They may be considered dangerous to approach or take resources from,
except in prescribed ways or by the right person. These places must
be respected, not damaged and must be managed carefully by the expert
guidance of the relevant Traditional Owners.
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