What happens when different knowledge systems speak to each other?

Introduction

They said this land is terra nullius, but behind this, Aboriginal people occupied the land and have managed this land for thousand of years using their system. There are people who say that Aboriginal people are not managing the land properly, for instance using 4 wheel drive to get to places, guns to hunt and over use of the natural resources.

Westerners have a view that its inappropriate if Aboriginal people use western tools to maintain traditional practices. There is a general lack of understanding and awareness of Aboriginal cultural knowledge. Edcuation is the key to understanding the complexity of Aboriginal culture.

Discussion

An example of contested knowledge's historically is when Aboriginal stockman were being forced to change their old traditional ways. In Australia, many Aborigines were pushed out of their traditional lands and brought to towns, settlements, and pastoral properties. This had a big impact on the way the land was managed, stockman lost important elements of their culture about the use of fire through this change.

The Aboriginal beliefs (or land management systems) and the introduced pastoralists belief systems conflicted. In North West Western Australia, there were notices all over the pastoral properties, which said 'cattle is grass'. The way the Aboriginal stockmen were brought up, they believed that burning country was for the benefit of the land and therefore the cattle too. Well this would have had a big impact in the way Aboriginal people managed land back then. It was the indigenous practice at that time to burn country where they walked and travelled. The pastoralists restricted the burning regimes into new and unfamiliar fenced areas. However, the traditional indigenous practices were never completely lost, many stockman of today want to go back and do what their ancestors did.

Now researchers want the land management knowledge from the Traditional Owners, however, problems arise in discussing fire and land management outside of the indigenous cultural framework.

Rose (1995) talks to people of Lajamanu about fire.

"A difficulty in talking about managing country is a reluctance on the part of Aboriginal people to talk abstractly about country, which is not their traditional country. When examples are used to illustrate an issue people often offer no opinion because they do not have the right to talk for another's country.

When people speak about the need to be on their country they use phrases like "I have to go and live there. That's what I am thinking about, I have to be there so people can come and stay with me. I have got sacred sites there that I want to look after. Yeah, that's the only part of the country that I have to worry about."

As demonstrated in the example above, looking after other peoples country is very complex and non-aboriginal people don't seem to understand that it's not that simple. Burning one's country is just one of the concerns in this on going discussion.

Fire has played a vital role in the cultural and environmental development in Australia. It is a major cause of debate because people have different feelings towards fire. People from all over the continent have different connotations of the word fire. Many people believe that fire is now a very valuable land management tool.

Summary

The solution to aim for is to continue the educational and awareness raising programs that contribute to understanding about the wealth of Aboriginal cultural science. There is a growing integration of Indigenous and western science and culture. This is demonstrated in the example of Rita Tingeys contribution to the Environment Protection and Biodviersity Conservation Act, Rose's growing understanding of cultural framework in land manamgement issues, Morrison's observations about the pressures that Indigenous people are put under to know all there is about traditional Aboriginal culture.

There will always be conflict and contestation when different knowledge systems communicate. In terms of the use of fire in land management issues, the discussions are working towards understanding and integration of Indigenous culture and western science.

Fire is a great tool in the way of returning people to their country. It increases one's knowledge and information and it gives the people empowerment.