Kamilaroi (Indigenous) Knowledge and Methodologies to Inform Water Management

Indigenous knowledge and methodologies are a missing component in water management in Australia. On this dry, flat and ancient continent, Traditional Knowledge has been passed on from generation to generation for millennia (over 65,000yrs), with a profound reliance of knowledge and connection to surface and groundwater. The role of traditional knowledge in finding and protecting cultural water places and landscapes has been critical to ensure the survival of Indigenous peoples in a dry landscape like Australia. Indigenous knowledge and methodologies can provide new (but old) evidence that is culturally appropriate, which generates a culturally safe space, with Indigenous researchers and communities leading. The aim is to shift the research paradigm away from Indigenous peoples being the researched, under non-Indigenous research methodologies, to becoming the researchers. This allows the Indigenous scientist to derive the terms, questions and priorities of what is being researched, how the community is engaged, and how the research is delivered.

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