Iris Ray Nunn
Are we ignoring the teachings of Indigenous ancestors by drilling for gas in the state’s largest inland forest?
It’s a question that has divided the Gomeroi nation, the original custodians of the Pilliga (Billiga) State Forest in north-central of NSW.
According to Gomeroi elders, their ancestors warned not to disturb a destructive ancestral being – called Gurrea – who lives in isolation in a lagoon in the Billiga State Forest.
But so far, the Narrabri Aboriginal Land Council and the Gomeroi National Aboriginal Corporation are ignoring these teachings and are pushing for a massive Santos mining operation.
Currently Santos mining have the approval to drill 36 exploratory wells in the forest, which includes privately owned land, drilling both vertically and horizontally through underground aquifers.
‘Exploratory’
Although exploratory drilling does impact on the structure of the underground aquifers, the approval to drill went ahead without activating the Water Trigger Bill, which passed this year in federal parliament. That’s because Santos’s activities are only ‘exploratory’ at this stage.
Of concern to locals, however, is the plan by the local council and Santos to name this arm of the Narrabri Gas Project ‘The Pilliga gas fields’.
Predictably the CEO of Santos Mining, David Knox, and NSW premier Barry O’Farrell support the destruction, driven by claims that ‘NSW is running out of gas’.
But this disingenuous argument has all but been debunked. It may be true that NSW produces only a small percentage of its gas; however, the issue is actually whether the federal government will step in and protect our domestic supply against the planned expansion of the export market.
If they did – like they do in the US – these corporations would be providing low domestic prices and this destruction could be averted.
We are not running out of gas; we are running out of politicians with integrity.
Our politicians are too cosy with the corporate agenda. That agenda is to produce shareholder dividends and screw everyone else and the environment in the process.
It’s a stark reminder that corporations are largely bereft of ethics and only comply to legislation.
Gomeroi elder Paul Spearim explains the stark divide of his people. ‘Some of our own people are signing off on Country,’ says Spearim.
‘They are doing it under the guise of Native Title. They are using the tribal name Gomeroi disrespectfully, and they are called the Gomeroi Narrabri Aboriginal Corporation.
‘Nine people are official voters, 19 in total. These 19 are traditional descendants of Gomeroi/Gomilaraay who are signing over our sacred lands for the dollar, not for the culture.
‘It’s only benefiting a handful of people, yet the majority feel like they have no choice, or simply have no clue about CSG.’
Social impact
‘Their actions are having a social impact on the health of our people. Some of these people have sons and daughters that are working in mines in other parts of the country who are coming back sick.
‘Some of them are young, in their forties, and are dropping dead from heart attacks.’
He says his people’s stories and teachings warn of death and destruction if traditional laws are not adhered to.
Spearim says that a ‘Being’ from Gomeroi dreaming stories threatens wide-scale destruction if he is disturbed from under the ground in the Billiga. This dreaming ancestor is called Gurrea, the crocodile. ‘He is the one to watch out for,’ says Spearim.
‘Dangerous’
‘Right now, Gurrea has been trapped by Waraba the Sword Shell Turtle, or Bells Turtle, who created our aquifers and our law. Gurrea was greedy and caused trouble.
‘He was stopped and banished into an underground lagoon that has no tributaries, so he cannot escape. But if they keep digging up the earth and the underground waterways, they risk releasing this dangerous energy, which will cause indiscriminate harm to all.’
It’s a similar teaching to the Kokatha people’s of South Australia, which warned of wide-scale destruction if their ancestral being, a massive sleeping lizard, was disturbed.
Uranium that was mined from Kokatha country was dug out of the back of their sleeping lizard.
It fuelled the Fukushima reactors and it is now poisoning the Pacific Ocean, threatening life on the planet.
Kokatha elders tried to warn BHP Billiton, but they did not listen.
Santos Mining is also being officially warned about what will happen to them and their families and the state of the nation if they continue their plans to drill for coal seam in the Billiga.
Even though it appears that sacred law has already been broken, all is not lost.
‘Sacred law isn’t dying,’ says Spearim.
‘It is coming back through the land itself, through reactivation of our cultural connection to the trees; to the land, to the birds, to the water, through the story, songs and dances of our ancestors.
‘Waraba laid out the law for us to follow in order to live in harmony with one another and Mother Nature for thousands of years to come. What we are doing here in the Billiga right now is vital for the survival of all people in this country.
‘So all people are invited to come here to learn, listen and thrive.
‘Most importantly we must come together now as a matter of urgency, all people from all backgrounds who care about the Earth and the future for our kids, and stop Santos from digging up the Billiga and Whitehaven Coal from mining the Leard Forest.’
To join the upcoming actions from December 13 in the Leard and Pilliga State Forest, email [email protected] or to donate to this campaign go to www.wilderness.org.au/regions/new-south-wales.
Our earth’s contribution to our health and wellbeing, our ancestors of this land and all of us know this practice is DEADLY! We must NOT allow this to go on…
Have you thought of doing a petition through Avaaz.org or Change.org….?
Thank you for all you are doing to save our world …
x Cath
What a fantastic article thank you for writing it Iris with so much integrity.