The Ngaro (canoe) people are living on what will become Queensland’s Whitsunday Islands, 74 new islands, which were mountain ranges on the mainland before the seas rose.
The mountaintops have been left above water and Ngaro people have adapted to become self-sufficient island people and skilled sea people, who can read the ocean.
They rely on heavy canoes with an outrigger on the side, for transportation and to feed their families.
Their watercraft, up to 14-foot long, are capable of open sea journeys, allowing them to trade with other tribes along the coast and hinterland.
From these canoes they hunt turtles, and even whales, in the open water.
Whales are speared or harpooned and tired out, before being dragged back to the beach.
A whale is enough to feed the whole mob around the islands.
Ngaro people take what they need to feed themselves and their family, and no more.
If there is greed, it’s dealt with under lore.
Ngaro people deeply respect the land and the sea which feed and shelter them.
From that respect comes understanding.
They have great knowledge about which spots are protected for camping in different conditions, including caves.
In one cave, where they sleep and eat together, they make paintings about their fish traps and hunting grounds on the walls.
The movement between the islands is only done on certain days when the wind and tides are right.
Some islands have no natural waterholes, so they have to carefully time their journeys.
Their canoes, big enough to transport three men, are made from special trees that will no longer be found on the mainland in thousands of years.
The men climb up to the tops of the trees to peel off three large pieces of bark, about an inch thick.
They’ll form a flat bottom and two rounded sides.
The bark pieces are placed on a fire, softening them so that they can be reshaped.
Once their shape is formed, cold water is thrown onto them to shrink them again.
They’re then stitched together using natural vine grown on the islands.
Vine is also used for fishing, with fishing hooks made from turtle shell attached to the end it.
Language will keep their stories and knowledge being passed down from generation to generation.