NESP MaC Project 4.3 - Unbroken whispers: the ripples connecting sea kin (UoW)

NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Project 4.3 documents Indigenous knowledge and cultural connections relating to southern right whales, humpback whales, orca, and dolphins in south-eastern Australia. The Indigenous-led project includes outputs such as artworks, written stories, images, video, and a technical report, shared through culturally appropriate knowledge-sharing products. The project aims to support Indigenous communities in strengthening cultural governance of Sea Country and informing conservation policy.

Use Cases

• Analyze Indigenous cultural connections to marine mammals based on documented knowledge from song, dance, rock art, and stories.
• Study species relationships and migration patterns based on Indigenous ecological knowledge mentioned in the description.
• Inform conservation management and recovery planning for EPBC-listed whales and dolphins based on identified Indigenous knowledge.
• Support cultural governance and intergenerational knowledge sharing for Sea Country based on project outputs like artworks and videos.

Strengths

• Project is Indigenous-led, involving an Indigenous Cultural Connections Reference Group for cultural and spiritual leadership.
• Outputs include multiple culturally appropriate formats such as artworks, written stories, images, video, and a technical report.
• Project activities include co-designed on-Country gatherings following the annual whale migration pathway from K’gari to Lunawanna-allonah and Encounter Bay.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Project activities include a desktop review of anthropological records, oral histories, and language, and co-designed on-Country gatherings including yarning circles and artistic workshops.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-13 20:17:46.790645; freshness should be verified.

Geography

South-eastern Australia, specifically areas along the annual whale migration pathway from K’gari to Lunawanna-allonah and Encounter Bay.