sea bed mining, page-32

Jaeb

Yes there's sea based songlines, maybe two from memory, on the eastern side of Groote. The reason there's so many in the west between Groote and the Mainlaind is that the poulation of Groote is made up of two cultures, the original GE's, the Waunindilyakwaun and the Nunggubbuyu. The latter migrated here following the Song Lines of their Totemic Ancestors.

Before European occupation of Australia the Song Lines all joined uo, right across the continent. One song line travels east across the Gulf and links up with aboriginal Cultures in Western QLD and the Torres Straight.

The implications for GOT, apart from the issue already, are that some of the families from Numbulawr (i.e. the Nuggubuyyu) are the TO's holding Native Title over the inter tidal zone on Maria Island (for it's significance re GOT read GR's scoping study summary).

Gemco, in regard to their sea based tenements will come into conflict, if they ever make an intrusive move, with both the TO's of the Archipelago and the Numbulwar mob too.

There's also s Song Line travelling from the Blue Mud Bay area to Groote across the tenements GR have applied for in that area.

I wrote a long post to Callback re the Trepang Industry and the Song Lines. This will be brief...or briefish.

Essentially, in the harvesting process Locals will be employed who will follow Ceremonial protocols on the sea (identical to those used when travelling on land) i.e. singing ceremonial songs to the Totemic Beings announcing their presence. The whole operation will atttempt to be environmentally friendly where possible. The harvesting will be done by diving from small yachts basically with, say, a 2hp engine for times of emergency.

With the resurgence in the croc population now that they're protected diving should prove a very interesting experience...but there'll be spotters with rifles and some sort of "guard" to protect the divers from being chomped from behind. Just the thought gives me the shivers.

Trepang are harvested in water between chest deep and 10 ft deep on the old scale. The Chinese like trepang very much, for not only are they used in medicines they are also a type of natural viagra.

Trepang are reliant on supreme water quality to exist...they certainly seem to get knocked around during cyclonic weather when lots of them are washed up on beaches dead as door nails.

The trepang industry was Australia's first export industry. The Aborigines of NE Arnhemland traded trepang with the Makassans for somewhere between 300-500 years until 1908...when the trade ceased because of the Commonwealth's White Australia Policy. So it's a pretty culturally sound endevour with a real history to it.

Callback's suggestion, from memory, is that the Trepang industry should relocate to the Eastern side of the Eyland to accomodate GOT. At the moment we're developing a strategic plan to in fact move the industry squarely into those areas to which GR have their tenements; in effect to establish economic activity there...and it's not the only economic activity we're looking at, there's also some possibilities in regard to commercially harvesting clams too, and research projects and so forth. So in terms of GOT it's bringing forward and implementing strategies and projects that have been on the drawing board for quite some time. I guess you could say we're "Scoping" at this point in time.

Interesting isn't it that the endangered Northern Hopping Mouse will imoact on Gemco activity in the Eastern (land based) Leases. Endangered species (turtles) will come into play re GOT's ambitions.

Well it wasn't briefish...it was long, but I had to get GOT in here somewhere or else risk moderation.