People of the Rainforest

Rainforest Aboriginal people are the original owners of the Wet Tropics rainforests and have been since time immemorial. There are 19 Aboriginal tribal groups with ongoing traditional connections to land in the Wet Tropics region, including the Wet Tropics and Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Areas. Their traditional estate boundaries are usually identified by geographical features and mostly do not follow the boundaries of the World Heritage Area. Each group has customary obligations for management of their country under Aboriginal law/lore.

 Rainforest Aboriginal News

Click here for latest edition (12) of the Rainforest Aboriginal News (2MB)

For previous editions of the news click below:

Edition 11 -Cultural Heritage Special 2008/9

Edition 10 -Regional Agreement Special 2005

Edition 9- Interim Negotiating Forum 2003

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.