I am a member of the Yuin tribe living In Narooma on the NSW Far South Coast.
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I would like to add my Indigenous voice to the current debate on saving the dingo or killing it as a wild dog.
Thousands of years ago, when the sea level was very low, and Australia was only narrowly separated from islands to the north, First Nations people came to Australia with seeds, trees and dingoes.
When Colonials came to Australia only a relatively short time ago our word for DINGO to mean this unique Australian mammal was one of the first they learnt in their attempt to communicate.
We are always part of a greater picture and feel responsible for the land we are on.
No one owns responsibility for the land we share.
It needs to be shared by all.
This is the wisdom of our elders, passed on to me by my mother and grandmother who taught me to appreciate Mother Earth for giving us shelter, sustenance, education and a worthwhile life.
In return for this close relationship we respect the Earth as our Mother, and honour the rules and law laid down in the stories and songs of our Dreamtime and passed on by our parents and grandparents as laws of the natural world.
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To many of us, from different clans/tribes, the dingo is a totem.
We nurture and respect our totems, so that when we pass this life our spirit enters our totem and we don't wander around aimlessly.
The connection between Man and Nature is a basic part of our spiritual and cultural life
It is sad to understand that Australia is way out in front of other countries when it comes to the extinction of its native animals.
The dangerous introduction of species such as rabbits, cats, foxes and goats has upset the ecology that the dingo has helped us to keep in balance for so many years.
The dingo should not be added to the list of invasive species to be killed.
It is not a wild dog, but an animal that is revered and honoured in my culture, so let's give it the respect it deserves as a sign that protection of native wildlife matters to everyone.
Peter Hancock, Narooma
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