Meintangk People’s relationship to m’raat and ngamath

Meintangk were the first peoples to occupy the mraat you stand on now and we shared adjoining land and sea country with the Bunganditj, Potaruwutj and Tanganekald peoples. Our relationships to mraat were mapped by our ancient stories which made for our connections to country. Meintangk stand today as the sovereign peoples of this land: always was, always will be.

Kelp Forest
image credit: Stefan Andrews courtesy Great Southern Reef Foundation

There are often large deposits of seaweed on the Kingston foreshore.

The seaweed is referred to in an ancient story first told by our Elders.

The story travels between Tangalun (Kingston) and Kulul (Cape Jaffa). In the time of the old people, our ancestors spread out Kung, a giant kangaroo skin mat, on the water. This mat was and is now the kelp forest which protects Lacepede Bay and Kingston from the Southern Ocean swells. This story – among others – reminds us of our obligations to care for country. Another Meintangk story tells of the turtle giving his poison to the snake. The turtle wasn’t dependent upon its poison to survive, for it could just as easily dive under water and escape any predator. So today the snake has the poison of the turtle to protect it against predators.

The custodian of these stories is Elder Irene Watson of the Meintangk, Potaruwutj, Bunganditj and Tanganekald Peoples.

Our stories are passed on through the generations and are a guide to our laws, cultures and ways of life.

Our old people have a profound relationship to the land: it is intricate, complex and based on constant learning. Contrary to early colonial ideas and the doctrine of terra nullius, our old people, did not ‘simply roam across the land’ – they were guided by law-ways. The boundaries of neighbouring clans were respected and not crossed without permission. Respect for each other’s mraat is strictly observed.

Katherine Gibson and family Kingston SE