For over 60,000 years, the area comprising present day Parramatta has been occupied by the Burramattagal people, a clan of the Darug, who first settled along the upper reaches of the Parramatta River. Burramattagal is thought to be derived from the Aboriginal word for 'place where the eels lie down' to breed (within the Parramatta River).
The Burramattagal have a close connection with the river, from which they caught fish, eels, and other food. Their stable, bark canoes often held a central small fire, built on a mound of soil, to cook up their fresh catch. 'Fire-stick farming', employed to burn vegetation to facilitate hunting and to change the composition of plant and animal species in the area, was also practiced by the Burramattagal people.
This acknowledgement is written for use in the Parramatta area.
We are a short walk away from a great river.It is a river that holds the stories of our heritage.
At this river, where the eels lie down to spawn,
we are thankful for the gift of life.
We remember the Darug people
who have nurtured life in this place
from beyond our records of time.
Under the shared sky, where the Seven Sisters and the Southern Cross shine down upon us,
no matter where we have come from,
we pay our respects also to the many other indigenous peoples
whose stories are entwined with this region.
As Second Peoples and descendants of Second Peoples,
we express our sorrow at the ongoing pain experienced by First Peoples
and pray that we might play our part in peacemaking and reconciling.
Time and time again, our local Elders remind us that to walk on this land,
we must tread responsibly and carefully.
We pray especially for the leadership of elders and law-keepers,
and voice our respect to all First People in this Land.
We commit ourselves to standing with those of this Land’s kin and skin.
We commit to behave as those who joint with you
in the responsibility of caring and listening
to the signs of the sacred in this land.
(C) 2019, A.Koh-Butler
