Part One: Invitation
Learning a different way of being together
You have just read our invitation to come into a Gumbaynggirr Country-led way of being—a call to learn in a different way, to set things right for all of us. This is an invitation to move beyond conventional approaches to natural resource management and engage with Gumbaynggirr-led ways of knowing, being, and doing. This shift asks for more than just intellectual understanding; it asks for a different way of listening, reflecting, and acting.
Take a moment to sit with what you have read. How did it make you feel? What questions or challenges arose for you? This reflection is not about finding immediate answers but about noticing your own responses and allowing space for change.
Your Own Reflections
There are no right or wrong reflections - only your own experience. Consider these questions as you prepare to take your learning and practice forward:
What assumptions are usually held in natural resource management?
How do I typically approach this practice - through facts and data, or through relationships and lived experience?
What does it mean for me to listen deeply, without rushing to respond or solve?
You are encouraged to keep a journal or a space for your thoughts throughout this learning journey. These reflections are yours to carry forward as you engage with Indigenous leadership and perspectives.
When you are ready, continue to the next section, holding this invitation to learn differently in mind.
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This paper is about practicing being Country-led and learning to come into deeper relationship through digging pipis with Uncle Bud
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This paper might support non-Indigenous people learning to come into deeper relationship from a Gumbaynggirr-led perspective.
Read here