Co-becoming with angophora: performing more-than-human belongings in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

Abstract

Belonging in Australian national parks has long been associated with universal ideas of nativeness or naturalness. However, these delineations have been critiqued as rooted in western, dualistic understandings of nature and culture that do not allow for other ways of conceptualising the world or for the agency of nonhumans. This paper argues for reconceptualising belonging as an ontological co-becoming where multiple contingent belongings co-emerge with bodies, worlds and place. To show how belonging co-becomes, I examine human–tree relations surrounding a special and sacred tree in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Australia, the Angophora costata. I tell three stories that shed light on the multiple ways performances of belonging are entangled with histories, stories, spirits, and present and absent humans and nonhumans. In doing so, I show how belonging is a more-than-human practice where ideas of native and natural are questioned.

Résumé

L’appartenance dans les parcs nationaux australiens est associée depuis longtemps aux idées universelles d’indigénéité et de naturel. Pourtant, ces définitions ont été critiquées comme étant enracinées dans les compréhensions occidentales dualistes de nature et culture qui ne laissent pas la place à d’autres façons de conceptualiser le monde ou à la capacité d’action des non-humains. Cet article plaide pour une re-conceptualisation de l’appartenance en tant que co-devenir ontologique où les appartenances multiples contingentes co-émergent avec les corps, les univers et le lieu. Pour montrer comment l’appartenance co-devient, j’examine les relations humain-arbre qui entourent un arbre spécial et sacré au Park National de Ku-ring-gai Chase en Australie, l’Angophora costata. Je raconte trois histoires qui illustrent les multiples façons dont les performances d’appartenance sont entremêlées avec l’histoire, les histoires, les esprits et les humains et non-humains présents et absents. Ce faisant, je montre comment l’appartenance est une pratique plus-qu’humaine où les idées d’indigénéité et de naturel sont remises en question.

Resumen

El pertenecer a los parques nacionales australianos se ha asociado durante mucho tiempo con ideas universales de lo nativo o lo natural. Sin embargo, estas delineaciones han sido criticadas como arraigadas en entendimientos occidentales y dualistas de naturaleza y cultura que no permiten otras formas de conceptualizar el mundo o para la acción de no los humanos. Este artículo propone volver a conceptualizar la pertenencia como un co-devenir ontológico donde múltiples pertenencias contingentes co-emergen con cuerpos, mundos y lugares. Para mostrar cómo se co-hacen las pertenencias, se examinan las relaciones hombre-árbol que rodean a un árbol especial y sagrado en el Parque Nacional Ku-ring-gai Chase, Australia, el angophora costata. Se narran tres historias que ofrecen información sobre las múltiples formas en que las representaciones de pertenencia están entrelazadas con historias, cuentos, espíritus y seres humanos y no humanos presentes y ausentes. Al hacerlo, se muestra cómo la pertenencia es una práctica más-que-humana donde se cuestionan las ideas de lo nativo y lo natural.

Keywords:

• Co-becoming
• belonging
• national park
• nature
• more-than-human
• Australia

Mots clés :

• co-devenir
• appartenance
• parc national
• nature
• plus-qu’humain
• Australie

Palabras clave:

• co-devenir
• pertenencia
• parque nacional
• naturaleza
• más-que-humano
• Australia

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Lesley Instone for all of her efforts over the years supervising this project. And thanks to Kathy Mee and Sarah Wright for their help as well. I am grateful to the National Parks and Wildlife Service, its staff and volunteers for enlivening my research. I would particularly like to thank the participants who shared their stories and time, and to Dennis Foley for his help and guidance during the project and for sharing his love of the park with me. Finally, thanks to the three anonymous reviewers whose insightful feedback and comments greatly improved the paper.

Notes

1. An Indigenous Australian word with ‘many layers of meaning. [Country] incorporates people, animals, plants, water and land. But Country is more than just people and things, it is also what connects them to each other and to multiple spiritual and symbolic realms’ (Burarrwanga et al., 2013, p. 128).

2. Similar to issues surrounding nature and culture, I also acknowledge that the boundary between ‘plant’ and ‘animal’ is also a western way of seeing the world and a categorisation that does not translate to Indigenous ontologies (Christie, 1994). However, I maintain the terms plant and animal in this paper to help the reader understand what things and bodies I am referring to. In addition, I use the term ‘nonhuman’ as a broader term that encompasses plants, animals and others including insects, soil, rain, fire, river and rocks. Yet I do this fully aware of the complexities around these terms and acknowledge that they are not distinct categories.

3. Colin is a Traditional Owner/Custodian of Ku-ring-gai Chase.