00:00Setting up for a smoking ceremony to heal country.
00:20Kaurna and Naranjeri man Alan Sumner is calling on his ancestors to help heal the sea as South
00:26Australia's algal bloom continues to kill countless sea creatures.
00:31It really hurts. We are water people. We rely on the water not only for fishing and practice but cultural ceremonies and practices.
00:40The coastline is where they connect with country, recount dreaming stories and practice their culture through dance and language.
00:47But that's been disrupted as dead fish wash ashore and algae aerosols cause respiratory symptoms.
00:54When I come here and see that the coastline is sick, that the water is sick, then it makes us sick.
01:04The traditional owners of the York Peninsula, or Gurinder, say they should be at the forefront when it comes to looking after sea country.
01:12At the moment we seem to be at odds with the current system that continues to leave us out on the conversations that are important.
01:22Environment Minister Susan Close says the government's algal bloom reference group has Aboriginal members with expertise in marine science and ecological restoration.
01:31She says the government has briefed the First Nations voice to parliament on the algal bloom response and is considering the best ways to engage with First Nations corporations and organisations moving forward.
01:42Mr Sumner says First Nations knowledge and Western science could work together to help the environment recover.
01:51They can't do this by themselves. They've got to use indigenous knowledges, knowledges that have come since the first sunrise in this country.
01:59Holding hope for healthier seas.
02:01In these countries, they are trying to get healthier vaccines.
02:08The United States of the USA is more susceptible to healthier seas.
02:10I think it's more susceptible to healthier health and healthier seas.
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