Sungai Utik :The fight for recognition

This is one of seven short films about sustainable living in the forests of Indonesia, Costa Rica and Brazil. Taken together, they tell a story of oppression, resistance, accomplishments, and confidence for the future.

CURATOR
Laura Miller
Applied ethicist and instructor, Southwestern Illinois College, St. Louis Community College, Fontbonne University, and Webster University

Teacher's guide
Please download the teacher's guide containing  maps, background information, suggested subjects, questions and activities for the series.

THE FILMS

Indonesia
1. Sungai Utik: The Fight for Recognition (21:00)
2. Building a Traditional Longhouse as a Cultural Center (11:40)
3. The Dyak Iban Way of Farming (12:30)
4. Homecoming: Indonesian Indigenous Youth Return to the Community (8:20)

Costa Rica and Brazil
5. A Sustainable Solution: Environmental tax to maintain forests in Costa Rica (6:30)
6. Brazil's Warrior Women: Women’s movement wins access to babassu oil (7:30)
7. A Tribute to Dona Dijé, Babassu Woman Warrior: An interview with a leader of the babassu movement (4:10)

WHY I SELECTED THESE FILMS
These films are unique because they highlight victories for the Indigenous people in their countries. In this series of seven films, we see the impact of the women’s movement on the women of the babassu forest, traditional teaching by the elders of the Sungai Utik people, and success in claiming ownership of the forest that they call home. It is important to me to show that Indigenous peoples are not helpless victims but instead are empowered to act as advocates for themselves in standing up to government entities, corporations, and threats. Here we see Indigenous peoples’ will, strength,and determination that should be celebrated.

Film 1 Sungai Utik: The Fight for Recognition

SYNOPSIS
The Sungai Utik, a Dayak community, follow the cultural practices of their ancestors passed down to them by their elders. For more than 40 years, the Sungai Utik people sought to protect their forested land from interference by government and from the greed of outsiders who were decimating ancient forests and homelands to create lucrative palm oil plantations. In response to the community’s complaints, the government denied the Sungai Utik electricity, paved roads, and fresh water. This hostile treatment drew the attention of NGOs, who helped the Sungai Utik register legal claims to the land on which they lived. On May 1, 2020, the government formally recognized the community’s historical right and relationship to the land.

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE FOCUS
There are reminders throughout this film series that the land and the Indigenous people are interconnected. This essential connection has led Indigenous people to defend their land and, by extension, their ability to live as their ancestors once lived. In these films we see a cultural center that is a gathering house for the Indigenous community and visitors; we see a fight for land that is also a fight for a future; we see ancestral farming methods; and we see the impact of modernity on the protection of tradition. While there are many focuses of each individual film, and all are worthy, the fundamental connection between land and people remains the common thread.

If land is taken, the Indigenous people disappear. If the land is harmed, so are the Indigenous people. If their land is given to others, pieces of their history are lost. One cannot separate them; they are each part of the other. To provide justice, justice must be given to the land through the people willing to defend it. These films allow us—even if only for a moment—to begin to see what a just Global South would be like.

Read more about teaching environmental justice with documentaries. Download the teacher's guide for If Not Us Then Who?

Download the Teacher's Guide

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First I'll tell the story of
how we moved from Lanjak

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Our ancestors...

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because they always got along
with the Embaloh people

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they've lived
with the Embalohs

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and so they asked them
for a piece of land

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"we're searching
for a vast territory"

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they asked the tribe's nobleman
Malin Malunsa

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and so Malin Malunsa gave them
the territory of Sungai Utik

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"if you can live alongside us,
over there is your land"

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"over there
is your land"

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"it was our land, this is the land
where our village once was"

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"now we give it to you,
all the fruits of this land is yours"

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In the past,
our grandpa Judan

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asked for this territory
from the Ulak Pauk nobleman

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grandpa
Malin Malunsa

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to Judan he said
"you can move there"

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"Even if there is only one
of you living here"

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"the territory still belongs to that person"
said grandpa Malin Malunsa

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what he meant was that
we must protect this territory

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we have to care for it and
preserve it for our descendants

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this is the way that
we must pass down the story

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if all our trees are
cut down and taken

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what would we do
if we no longer had any trees left

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When people first came here,
wanting to take our land

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we refused them

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Bumi Raya Limited and Lanjak Entimau Limited
tried to come here

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many many companies tried
to come into our forest

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we drove them
all away

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even when the biggest logger,
Apheng came we rejected it as well

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we do not
want it

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this is our territory
and we don't want it to be ruined

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the land, the fruits,
the fish here are ours

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the trees here
are ours

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this customary territory
is ours to protect

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most people see the forest's value
as money,  we don't,

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what we care more for
is natural wealth

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If what we wanted was money,
then we would've sold

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all the trees in our forest

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but when the trees run out
so will the money

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if we have unity in the community
it's easy

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the companies still have to ask us,
and if we are in unison we can reject them

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natural wealth means that
we plant these trees

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and they will continue to replenish
never running out

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our rule is when you cut one tree down
you plant 2 more

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when we are about
to cut down a tree for building

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we make an offering
with a ritual

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so as to not disturb
the forest

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not because we cherish the trees,
we use them as building material

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never as something
to be sold

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this is why we have
protected the forest,

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it's where we get
the building blocks for our houses

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we depend
on the forest

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these trees are difficult to find,
once you cut it down

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it takes hundreds of years
to regrow

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we have protected these forests,
never letting anyone or any company take it

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we protect these forest
for our future grandchildren

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we don't want the land to be ruined,
the river to be contaminated

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the forest is still here

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there are still many trees

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like what we are doing here,
we don't want to use tin roofs

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it has to be wood

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since 1996 Sungai Utik
have started organizing ourselves

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many NGOs helped and had discussions
alongside the community

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in 1998 everybody agreed
that Sungai Utik has to be mapped

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this is so that we know
how vast our territory is

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so that we know what exists
within our customary territory

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the type of trees,
everything was identified

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and also so we all know
where the boundary between the villages are

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our customary territory
is split into different zonations

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Kampung Galau

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Kampung Taroh

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Kampung Endor Kerja

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Kampung Taroh is the protected forest,
and we will protect it forever

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the protected forest keeps
our water sources clean

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that is why it's important to us

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and then the Kampung Galau,
it is also a protected forest

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but if the trees in the production forest are
still small then we won't cut it down

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instead we'll search for trees in the Kampung Galau,
and even then it's done very selectively

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Kampung Endur Kerja is where we go
to find wood when we are building

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the small trees will grow big, and so we only take
what we need for the community

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people saw that

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here is a community
that has truly protected their territory

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we received the Kalpataru award

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the Equator Prize from the UNDP

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and it meant a lot for Sungai Utik's fight

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we have protected our territory this far
not just for ourselves,

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and people saw
our sincerity in this fight

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we have gone through
many difficulties and hardships

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it's not just about
receiving the awards

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our aim wasn't to receive these awards,
that wasn't our purpose,

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that's not what
we were hoping for

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but it's more that
we were certain

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from the very start we wanted
to protect this territory,

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without hoping for
any compensation from anyone

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for more than 20 years
we have fought

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so that we can protect
this territory

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and to receive legal recognition of it
from the government

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our first step in the fight
is to work alongside NGOs

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to create a map
for our customary territory

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after seeing the map it was clear
that there is an indigenous community that owns it

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a community that is still hanging on to their
customary beliefs, still practice their rituals

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that still has their customary forest,
still has their traditional clothes

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the government saw that this is a community that
they have to legally recognize

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Here Apai Janggut-

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and with that the community
and our customary territory

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is legally recognized
by the local government

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according to the decree issued by the head of district,
on the 30th of October 2019

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first point, there exist
an indigenous community

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that has been recognized
by the local government with a decree

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there exist a customary territory
that's partially or fully forest

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there is, valid

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the verification team
have all signed it

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you have waited long
for this process

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all that's left is to ask
Apai to sign it

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we now have a decree
recognizing our customary forest

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from the Ministry of Environment
and Forestry of Indonesia

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we wanted it to legally be
a customary forest

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because it is
a rights-based system

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meaning the community is given the freedom
to manage their customary territory

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according to their traditional
way of living

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if the community is still able
to take care of and manage their territory

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then the territory will still belong
to the community

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that is
what we want!

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we don't want them to
give differing rights

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they could have given
concession rights

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they could've given it
to palm oil companies

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if it is owned by
the people of Sungai Utik

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like it is now that it's been recognized
as a customary forest

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this means that if the government
wants to do something here

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they need permission
from the people

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if they don't ask for permission,
then they are breaking the rules

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that they've
put up

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This is the bird's wood,
it is to protect our kids

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protect our wood
and our land

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freed from dangers

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our fields yield
good paddy

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thank you to everyone who has helped us
in every step of our journey

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may it be from an organization
or individually

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from Indonesia
or from abroad

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thank you
from all of us

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we at Sungai Utik
see an opportunity

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it's not enough
just to protect it

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we need to be able to do this sustainably,
and we can do that with tourism

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we saw that it was in line
with what we wanted

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they want to walk in our forest,
to see the towering trees

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they want to go upstream of the river,
the water is still clear

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the guests that come here
doesn't cause any harm

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they bring
many positive impacts

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it's important
for Sungai Utik

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if we want a sustainable
and independent future

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we have to protect this customary forest
forever and ever

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it will never run out and
it will be passed down to our children

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if it's not protected then
this forest will be gone

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then there won't be any forest
for our grandchildren

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this customary territory
belongs to us

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♪ We are the kids of Sungai utik ♪

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Born from seeds of water

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We play in the river,  we play in the forest,
we play in the fields

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Oh! what fun

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We are the kids of Sungai Utik

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Raised in the forest

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We like to dance, we like to sing,
we look for fish

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Oh! What fun

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Ancestral lands,
don't ever let go off it

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For temporary gains

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Our Ancestral lands, this river,
this forest

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Are our lives forever

Citation

Main credits

Tegar, Kynan (filmmaker)

Distributor credits

Producer: Tim Lewis

Director: Kynan Tegar, Tim Lewis