Sea Country
Sea Country ranger from Hope Vale- mapping from Pelican1- Hope Vale/Pelican project
‘Country’ as understood in Aboriginal English, ‘is not only a common noun but also a proper noun. People talk about country in the same way they would talk about a person: they speak to country, sing to country, visit country, worry about country, feel sorry for country, and long for country. People say that country knows, hears, smells, takes notice, takes care, and is sorry or happy. Country is not a generalised or undifferentiated type of place, such as one might indicate with terms like “spending a day in the country” or “going up the country”. Rather, country is a living entity with a yesterday, today and tomorrow, with a consciousness, and a will towards life. Because of this richness, country is home, and peace; nourishment for the body, mind and spirit; heart’s ease.’ (D. Rose, quoted in Mulligan and Martin 1996, p. 237).