We are from Greenland, Finnish coastal communities, Indigenous Taiwanese peoples, New Zealand Maori, Haida Nation, and Quandamooka Country and Trawlwoolway Pakana (both Australia). The Ocean we know: a look at traditional maritime governance systems Indigenous leader Sutej Hugu from Taiwan has called Indigenous and traditional maritime communities Indigenous and Community-conserved Areas - ICCA. Haida Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson, who is a lawyer and a singer of her people, has recently highlighted the "female supernatural beings" of Haida Gwaii and made visible the numerous powers and guardians of the Indigenous life in her nation. Introduction: meeting the Ocean [for the first time] I On the 20th March 2017 the New Zealand government enshrined into law that the Whanganui River is a legal entity, having rights and responsibilities just as a human person. i This was perceived as a massive victory for Maori in getting their understanding of the river recognized in a contemporary Common Law system, and points to the central question of this preface - who is the Ocean from Indigenous and traditional viewpoints?. [Extracted from the article]