Cultural Heritage is the living link between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today and their Ancestors, creating a link over 65,000 years old. Understanding the world as a boundaryless environment between the tangible and intangible, the people, the Country and Culture, Traditional Owners engagement with Cultural Heritage includes places and objects as well as those things considered intangible, such as language, practices and knowledge.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage tells a story of a deeply spiritual people connected through their culture to their environment. The age and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture alone demonstrates that all people everywhere can benefit from an understanding of their culture. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage shows the story of human ingenuity and deep and spiritual relationship with nature, a relationship that through the manipulation of ecological processes has led to the Australia we know today.”

(Dhawura Ngilan / Remembering Country: A Vision for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage in Australia)

The establishment of many of the legislative and regulatory provisions for cultural heritage are based on an archaeological perspective, known to many as the ‘stones and bones’ approach. This does not provide for the holistic understanding of country, culture and community lived by Traditional Owners. The Mabo Centre will provide the research and support for Traditional Owners to create pathways for recognition of their understandings into the legislative and regulatory environment that affects cultural heritage.