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Aboriginal Projects

Indigenous Cultural & Intellectual Copyright: The Aboriginal informants and Eurobodalla Shire Council jointly hold the copyright to any publicly available information collected during the Heritage studies for the purposes of the project. This remains the property of those individuals who participated and cannot be used for reproduction or any other purpose without the written consent of the participant.

The Eurobodalla Shire Council acknowledges the cultural and intellectual property rights of the Aboriginal people featured in the reports.

WARNING: The following documents contain references to deceased people.

Eurobodalla Aboriginal Heritage Study Stage 1 - South Coast NSW and Eurobodalla

[Components of the Project] [Download Information]

Under the Natural Heritage Trust the Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authority (SRCMA), the Eurobodalla Shire Council and the Department of Environment and Conservation are conducting the Eurobodalla Aboriginal Heritage Study. The Eurobodalla Aboriginal Heritage Study is a three-year project that is being carried out in close consultation with Aboriginal community members and organisations in the Eurobodalla region.

This project follows the work completed from the Aboriginal Environment Education Project which received the State Landcare Indigenous Award in 2003. The project objectives for the Eurobodalla Aboriginal Heritage Study are based on a consultation process with the local Aboriginal communities.

The broader long term objectives of the project are to collate the oral history of Aboriginal people from the Eurobodalla; map sites of significance to Aboriginal people; develop strategies for conserving and restoring sites of Aboriginal significance and; develop and implement on-ground projects on Aboriginal Landcare.

The project aims to develop a better understanding of the Aboriginal cultural heritage in the shire through historical research and collection of oral history from Aboriginal people with connections to the Eurobodalla region. The study will record a wide range of heritage values of traditional, historic and contemporary importance to Aboriginal communities. It aims to develop ways of better managing these values in local planning processes.

The project objectives in more detail are;

  1. To bring Aboriginal people together with stakeholders to discuss cultural heritage management.
  2. To develop an understanding of the perspective’s of the Aboriginal community about heritage management and the continued use of land, sea and wild resources, and the identification of key environmental concerns in the study area.
  3. To collate and map valued places deemed useful for land and heritage management across the study area. These might include land tenure, land disturbance, known Archaeological Sites, archaeological landscape modelling, cultural sensitivity zoning, and post contact and contemporary places valued by community.
  4. To commence research into the historical and social context of the Aboriginal communities in the study area using a set of agreed themes to be determined with the community. This is to be commenced with the oral history collection from the Aboriginal communities.
  5. To use the information and project outcomes to guide future planning and improved cultural heritage management throughout the study area.
  6. To identify potential Aboriginal sites for priority conservation and Aboriginal Landcare works.
  7. To work cohesively with the Aboriginal Heritage Study for the Eden/Bega area.

The project is over 4 stages and the first stage is almost complete. The first stage of the project involves the following: writing an overview history of Aboriginal people in the Eurobodalla region; producing a bibliography of historical sources that relate to Aboriginal history in the region; finding references to places in the documentary historical sources that reflect this history. This research will provide information that can be built upon during the next stage of the project (Stage 2) which will involve oral history collection from local Aboriginal people.

 

Components of the Project

Stage 1 – Research / data audit
Brief review of existing reference material in order to identify archival and current research material relevant to this study area and identify Aboriginal places listed in the archives, and provide a context for the project.

Stage 2 – Field Work
Undertake consultation and survey with Aboriginal communities and individuals to collect, document and map cultural heritage information.

Stage 3 – Aboriginal Values Report and Mapping
Document, report and make information available to local Aboriginal communities and agencies as determined by agreed protocols.

Stage 4 – Future Planning Report
Investigate and recommend ways that the broad historic and contemporary Aboriginal heritage values arising from stages 1 –3 can be integrated into future cultural heritage management, landuse planning and EIA procedures. This will involve a review of existing and potential legislative structures, mechanisms and processes for formalising Aboriginal culture and heritage co-management, which recognise the legal constraints incumbent upon respective land tenures and management agencies.

 

Download Information

Eurobodalla Aboriginal Heritage Study Final Report

Eurobodalla Aboriginal Heritage Study Stage 2 - Stories About the Eurobodalla by Aboriginal People



Eurobodalla Aboriginal Heritage Study Stage 4
Managing,Protecting & Acknowledging Aboriginal Heritage in the Eurobodalla Shire