Rikki Dank wasn’t expecting to make front-page news while in Glasgow.
The art gallery owner and climate activist, a Gudanji Wakaja woman, had travelled to the COP26 climate summit to raise the issue of fracking in her home of Borroloola in the Northern Territory.
Walking through the conference venue, she saw Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio surrounded by security guards and cameras.
She shouted at the environmentalist “Mr DiCaprio! Talk to Indigenous women in Australia about fracking practices on their land!”.
He turned his head, but didn’t stop to chat.
That didn’t matter. The stunt made international news and brought the issue to the minds of those who wouldn’t normally read about it.
“I knew he wasn’t going to speak to me, but I thought if he could at least hear me, if someone could hear me, hear the issues we’re facing, then at least I would achieve that at the very least,” Ms Dank told SBS News.
She is one of just four Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander delegates at COP26. That’s out of more than 25,000 delegates who received accreditation for the summit.
The Australian pavilion, popular because of the free flat white coffees visitors receive, became .
“It’s supported by mining companies and they’re the destroyers of the flaming land,” said Pastor Ray Minniecon of the Indigenous People’s Organisation of Australia.
“Aboriginal people still have to have a voice in these forums. We can’t allow the government, supported by mining companies, to speak on our behalf."
Travelling in a pandemic is not easy and delegate numbers would have been higher if it weren’t for travel restrictions and health concerns.
Dr Virigina Marshall is a Wiradjiri Nyemba woman and researcher at ANU. She was determined to attend despite the risks.
She believes Indigenous delegates at COP26 can provide vital insight into the real-world effects of climate change and how to adapt to a warming planet.
“The way that we read the land and the water, the way we see what’s happening through animals and flowers, that’s being changed because of the climate,” she said.
“We say to governments around the world; if you listen to Indigenous peoples, we can work together with our understanding of the land and waters.”
The Australian pavilion is scheduled to host a session on Indigenous fire management techniques next week.
Ray Minniecon and Dr Virginia Marshall Source: SBS News
A priority for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander activists is to meet with other Indigenous peoples from across the globe.
A small pavilion dedicated to Indigenous populations sits at the back of the cavernous exhibition hall.
“Listening to their stories, hearing they’ve had similar experiences to us Indigenous people in Australia, it makes me feel sad but at least we feel solidarity with each other,” Ms Dank said.
Indigenous leaders from South America and the Pacific Islands have been invited to high-profile speaking spots at this year’s COP summit.
Ms Dank hopes Australia’s first nations people will have just as high a profile at future climate summits.
“We are the custodians, we have been there for 65,000 years, caring for country, so we know a thing or two about looking after the place.”
