Indigenous knowledges have long understood non-human entities as living ancestral beings with a right to life that must be protected. But only recently have animals, plants, mountains and bodies of water been granted legal personhood. If we can recognise them as individual beings, what might they say?

The Murrundi / Murray River is Australia’s largest river; the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth region are one of Australia’s most important wetland areas. Supported by SA Water, ACE has collaborated with Clyde Rigney Jnr (Ngarrindjeri) and Change Media to speak on the rivers’ behalf in this significant international project.

“Our waters are not healthy.
Introduced management systems continue to severely damage Murrundi and the Kurangk.
The impacts are affecting our rights as Ngarrindjeri to remain Ngarrindjeri.
Everything is connected: If our rivers die, we die.
The River Murray is a colonial delusion, it is Murrundi who sustains us.
We urgently need to come to terms with Murrundi, with each other, for future generations to be healthy.”

–     Murrundi / Murray River transcript