such as deaths, marriages and adoption ceremonies excess produce would be made available for exchange to sustain those engaged in the cultural rituals. Totems Totems are important in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, as they are commonly adopted as a family or clan emblem used to maintain and continue connections with Indigenous land, the Dreamtime and their ancestors. These totems play great significance from the moment an Indigenous child is born, as at the time of birth a child is given a totem in order to connect them to their physical and kin relatedness. Each Indigenous clan has different totems which are unique to them in their own ways. A shared totem among all eight Meriam tribes is a shark. This totem arises from a story in which a father and son got lost while hunting and waited for sharks to rescue them. Therefore, sharks are seen as a totem animal who would protect the Meriam people and not attack them. It is forbidden for men (who usually would hunt prior to European colonisation) to hunt sharks as they are seen as animals who would not harm the Meriam people. While individual clan's totems arise from stories, over time these stories have been lost as elders have been unable to communicate them to younger generations due to past policies that separated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. However, the following totems are known for the following tribes of the Mer people: Komet, totems include sardine and mangrove Zagareb, totems include seagull and Torres Strait pigeon Meauram, totems include turtle Magaram, totems include whale and snake Geuram, totems include whale, snake and dove Peibrem totems include mantaray Meriam-samsep, totems include tiger shark, Torres Strait pigeon and driftwood totems Piadram, totems include tiger shark, Torres Strait pigeon, driftwood and whale Dauer Meriam totem includes Tagai constellation Mythology/ Cosmogony The stories told by elders to the younger generations allow for the transgenerational learning of the Meriam culture. Some of the stories explain why certain rituals or practices are important in Indigenous clans. Torres Strait Islanders in particular the Mer people are seafarers, sea country was used as a place for gardening, hunting, fishing, ceremonies, art, music, dance and storytelling. The story of Nageg (pronounced Nar-gegg) and Geigi (pronounced Gay-gee) explains the importance of sea country. It explains how Nageg and Geigi, a mother and son became known as triggerfish and trevally, through