ayakwa issue four july 2016

Anindilyakwa Land Council’s

Ayakwa

One People. One Voice. anindilyakwa.com.au

Mardayin by Hugh Bland On Saturday 18th June the dancing grounds at Numbulwar Community were the site for the staging of the final phases of the recent Mardayin Ceremony with people from communities across Arnhem Land coming together to celebrate the passing on of knowledge and to remember the great leaders of ceremony who have sadly passed away. Throughout the previous two months people have travelled to Numbulwar from Groote Eylandt and Bickerton Island where they joined with people who had come up from Ngukurr and others who had driven or flown down from Gapuwiyak (Lake Evella), Yulparra, Milingimbi, Gan Gan, and Rurrangala.

The Mardayin ceremony is performed all over Arnhem Land, where it is also known as Mardayin. In Numbulwar (an Aboriginal community on the westerm shore of the Gulf of Carpentaria) the ceremony is also known as Ngarrag, while on Groote Eylandt it is sometimes known as Babara and is considered to be a continuation of the...

INSIDE THIS ISSUE• GEMCO’s Rehab

Program

• ALC’s Future Groote

• Polly Farmer off to a roaring start

• ASAC turns two!

• Prime Minster & Cabinet’s ‘Groote Eylandt Action Plan’

Continued Pg. 4...

Newsletter | Issue no. 4 2016

Rehab team seeding to success!The Rehabilitation Crew have just started a new season of seed collecting after achieving record rehabilitation results in 2015 and completing a long weed control program over the extended wet season. The team consists of 14 local Indigenous employees, 2 mentors and their supervisor Simon Hartley. Each season they collect and process approximately 5 to 6 tonnes of seed from between 15 to 20 local tree and shrub species. The team also spray and control weeds across the mine lease to protect their rehabilitation areas from weed invasion and grow around 13,000 seedlings to be planted during the wet season.

The seed collection season starts in late May with the first species to be collected being Yimundungwa (Cypress Pine) and finishes in December with Alabura (Stringybark tree). Alabura is one of the most important species as it is the dominant tree across Groote Eylandt. The team also collect several Bush Tucker species including Mangkarrkba (Green Plum), Awulka (Geebung tree) and Mamabura (Wild Peach). Senior member Samuel Lalara is planning on establishing strategic bush tucker and seed collection sites over the next two rehabilitation seasons. This will make the collection of seed for future rehabilitation projects more efficient as well providing easily accessible bush tucker once the rehabilitation sites are handed back to the Traditional Owners.

The seed collected by the crew is processed to a significantly higher standard than that available from commercial collectors. Once collected it is cleaned, vacuum sealed and stored in a cool room to keep it at an even temperature with appropriate humidity levels. This allows seed to be stored for rehabilitation projects in future years. Some of the seed is used to grow seedlings in the nursery but the majority is mixed together to be spread across the new rehabilitation areas created by the Mining Department. In early December the Rehab Crew mix all the seed they have collected together to form their special seed mix. This requires very good mathematics skills to ensure we get the right seed mix spread across all of our rehabilitation areas.

The mixture is then loaded into specially designed seed boxes on a helicopter and spread evenly over the rehabilitation areas. Last year the crew seeded a record 129 hectares of new rehabilitation.

Due to the late rains in April and May the crew have had a long spray season due to the continued germination of weeds. The key weeds targeted are Mission, Grader and Guinea grasses due to their ability to quickly invade and damage rehabilitation areas when the dry season fires come through. This is hard and hot work but critical to the success of the rehabilitation program. The Rehab crew are working closely with the ALC Rangers and other stakeholders to help keep weeds under control right across Groote Eylandt by sharing knowledge and ideas.

If you would like to join the Rehab Team please register your interest with CDP in Angurugu or Umbakumba or talk to any member of the crew.

By Matt O’Hare

“Each season they collect and process approximately 5 to 6 tonnes of seed from between 15 to 20 local tree and shrub species.”

Issue no. 4 | Ayakwa Newsletter pg. 2

Photos (clockwise from top): GEMCO’s Rehabiltation Crew,

Gabriel Nunggarrgalu and Zilandra Murrungun spraying,

Cheryl Mamarika holding cleaned white peach in the sieve.

“Last year the crew seeded a record 129 hectares of new rehabilitation.”

pg. 3Issue no. 4 | Ayakwa Newsletter

...earlier Amundararia rituals. The final phase of the recent ceremony was spectacular and included the re-emergence of the young boys attending their first Mardayin, who were then joined on the dancing grounds by over 1500 men, women and children from the home communities of the young boys and the other men conducting the ceremony.

During Mardayin many emeba (songs) are sung that celebrate amalawudawarra (the paths travelled by the creation ancestors) including the track of the great culture hero Blaur who journeyed from south east Groote Eylandt, through Bickerton Island, and on to the mainland. The track of Blaur and the other ancestors unites all the clans and communities along the path and the names of the places they visited are called out during the ceremony.

Throughout north east Arnhem Land communities are made up of people who identify as belonging to one of two moieties, called Yirritja and Dhuwa by the Yolngu, Mandaridja and Mandaijung by the Nunggubuyu, and Moiety 1 and 2 by the Anindilyakwa of Groote Eylandt. During the Mardayin ceremonial cycle rituals are conducted during late afternoon where actors of the Dhuwa/ Mandaijung /Moiety 2 moiety perform first, followed by the Yirritja/Mandaridja /Moiety 1 men. Men are painted with designs representing their Dreaming or clan association. There are many different rituals, some taking place on a secret ceremonial ground, only to be seen by men. Others are unrestricted and may be seen by all.

The ceremony culminates in ritual bathing, in which men, women and children, go to the beach and immerse themselves, dancing in the sea and washing off the ochre and clay with which they were ritually painted. This way the actors, men and women, re-enacting the deeds of the Dreamtime beings in the mythical past, leave the designs sung and painted on their bodies behind and re-emerge from the water as people again.

By Hugh Bland

Continued from front cover


ALC’s Future Groote StatementIn 2011, the ALC commenced a reform process with the ultimate objective of securing much better outcomes for Traditional Owners, particularly from the significant royalty and rent stream flowing from GEMCO’s manganese mine. The reform initiatives have been underpinned by a 15 year Strategic Plan from 2012, based on a consultation process with Traditional Owners, their organisations and service providers. Since then key reforms achieved are:

• Negotiating a new and increased budget for the ALC funded by the Aboriginals Benefit Account (ABA) which no longer included any reliance on royalties;

• Establishing a Royalty Development Unit in 2013 to support those corporations receiving royalties.

• In March 2014, ending reliance on a single corporation to receive and spend royalties and to open up access to other corporations on the Island incorporated under the CATSI Act to contribute to better outcomes; and

• Publishing an ALC Mining Rents and Royalties Distribution Framework to guide the ALC’s decision making around the distribution of royalties and rents.

‘Future Groote’ is the next reform proposed by the ALC Board and its objective is to improve the impact of royalties and rents across all Groote Eylandt clans. While royalty corporations, particularly the Anindilyakwa Mining Trust, have in recent years amassed great assets, most of the Aboriginal population on the Island remain welfare dependent. There are other serious long term problems linked to this including:

• Core community needs not being met, particularly housing (a shortfall of 52 houses), food and support for youth

• Culture and language loss

• Low capabilities of individuals and families

• A small local economy despite significant revenue streams.

• A reliance on passive service delivery to improve life outcomes and considerable duplication and confusion about roles and responsibilities; and

• A build-up of administrations in royalty corporations that need greater Focus areas

Focusing on three main areas, beginning with; Securing agreement of all royalty corporations to work with the ALC to ensure that royalties are received and spent in accordance with an agreed set of priorities that are aligned to the ALC’s Strategic Plan and to achieve increased transparency for all traditional

owners around how royalties are spent and what is achieved Conducting a series of workshops with each royalty corporation starting with the launch of the project on 21 June on Groote Eylandt, that are facilitated by independent team leader Brian Stacey, Mark Walker and Sean Bowden, with a view to securing agreement about a set of arrangements that can achieve greater alignment and transparency. Preparing in collaboration between ALC and royalty corporations a new accord to be signed off by December 2016 that outlines agreed priorities and funding arrangements to deliver them in a transparent way for the next 3 years.

To maximise the prospects of support from traditional owners and their corporations, it is proposed that the project will be owned and led by the ALC Board. Accordingly, it is not envisaged asking the Australian or Northern Territory Governments to be partners or to establish a joint governance framework, such as the now abandoned Regional Partnership Agreement, to guide the project. However, it is recognised that the Governments are key stakeholders and that both ought to be briefed fully about the project and with a view to securing their support.

A priority for the ALC is building a Future Fund that will enable all the Traditional Owners to receive a similar income in the future to what they currently receive once the mine closes, providing certainity for funding on an annual basis.

Photo: David Nelson and Grandson at Mardayin.


ASAC turns two! By Amanda Strange

After just reaching their 2nd birthday, ASAC has many success stories to share.

ASAC’s Bush Medijina (Medicine) team have had great success selling out at the Alyangula Mother’s Day Market and they have recently started selling each week in community out the front of the CATCH building. The team have high expectations to expand their operations and aim to become a successful enterprise.

ASAC’s Art and Culture team have also been busy preparing for the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fare – creating items from naturally bush dyed scarves and sarongs, printed t-shirt’s and t-towels and some amazing pieces of jewellery – across Angurugu and Milyakburra. Also, keep an eye out for prints of Alfred Lalara’s culturally significant dash paintings – soon to be arriving at the Gallery!

Also recently the team have completed the implementation of their art knowledge bank using SAM (Stories, Art, Money) which will ensure all Groote Eylandt art and stories are kept safely for generations to come. Further, this month the team have engaged a conservator to visit the gallery and assess some of the amazing old bark paintings and artefacts with the objective of conserving them during her next visit to Eylandt.

The Men’s Shed are powering on with their weekly visits out on country recording traditional names for the Groote landscape. ASAC have some big plans for the future of men’s activities in general and are working in partnership with government, the ALC and South32 to assess the viability of a timber mill.

ASAC’s Events team are in full swing preparing for the 2016 OPOV Festival to be held from 12 – 14 August in Angurugu. Over the last few months the team have run other community events including

the Milyakburra band night, movie nights and a successful leadership exchange camp with young people from Yirrkala. The team are about to embark on training a group of local people to learn how to use media equipment in preparation for the Festival. All are welcome to join ASAC at the CATCH on 28 July to celebrate ASAC’s 2nd birthday and to

showcase what staff and artists have been up to!

ASAC’s Language Centre has been working hard successfully engaging Language Officers from all communities in their activities with weekly visits to Umbakumba and fortnightly trips to Milyakburra. Thanks to ASAC language officers and Linguist the Knowledge Bank Miroma is well on its way recording words, stories and photos to be shared with generations to come. Check out Facebook for when we are running school holiday programs!

Don’t forget to check ASAC out on Facebook at…..https://www.facebook.com/asacnt/


What is the Groote Eylandt Action Plan? In March, everyone came together to discuss what needs to be done to make things better for the local people of Groote Eylandt. We’ve considered what was spoken about at the workshop and we are coming back to talk about a way forward.

Improve Services

We heard that people are concerned about how business is done on Groote Eylandt. There will be regular meetings with the high levels of Government and ALC to discuss how we can work better together and how to reduce gaps and duplication to make sure important services are delivered well. The Government will work with senior people to develop and deliver personal leadership for youth, women and men across the Archipelago, to make certain that younger people develop the skills to do business within their own organisations and with service providers.

Community Safety

Local people told us they want to contribute to safer communities but that help on the ground has to be increased. The ALC, Australian and NT Government have funded more Police infrastructure, with $15 million allocated for Groote Eylandt. Community Safety Action Plans are being reviewed, with input from local people, and include issues like reducing noise. Improvements to ovals, water parks and other meeting areas are being considered to give young people interesting and enjoyable activities to do, particularly at night. Government will see how community can be involved in how people who are in trouble with the law are treated by supporting cultural ways on country to guide young people on the right way to behave, youth conferencing with elder involvement and work camps.

Health and Wellbeing

The workshops in March only spoke a little bit about the health outcomes for the Anindilyakwa people. Another workshop dedicated to health issues will be held to talk about how to improve the delivery of health services through greater involvement by local people. Because of recent sad events, the Government is working to expand mental health services based on Groote Eylandt and find ways for local people to help friends and family who may hurt themselves. In response to community concerns about parental responsibility, the Government will work with the community to find better ways for parenting programs to improve family relationships and wellbeing.

Schooling

There will be efforts to help parents with young children to raise and better prepare their children to go to school. Soon there will be more people working with the RSAS team (Yellow Shirts) to help families access the extra help that is needed to get kids to school. Government will work with the community to find out how to improve the way local people are involved in schooling and to help young people transition from school to work.

Jobs

Work is being done to see if literacy and numeracy training can be available to everyone so that local people can help and train each other over time. Discussions have begun for some areas close to Angurugu to be made available for harvesting timber, cultural materials, bush tucker and medicine before the land is cleared for mining, for people to learn the skills and provide materials for small businesses to grow across the Archipelago. Government will assist to map training against where jobs are now and in the future to help develop a range of pathways for jobs on or off Groote Eylandt, followed by a Job Expo to help people decide where they may like to work

What next?

It’s important that the Government listen to the communities views on future plans for Groote Eylandt before decisions are made. The following process for engagement will occur:

• Community meetings are held as soon as possible in each of the three communities

• After each community has a chance to discuss issues, a whole of Groote Eylandt community meeting will be held so Anindilyakwa people can talk as a group

• Another workshop involving government, local organisations and community members will be held to talk about progress made.

From the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet


Ph 08 8987 4006Fax 08 8987 [email protected]

30 Bougainvillea DrivePO Box 172Alyangula NT 0885

anindilyakwa.com.au

Published by Editor: Katie HagebolsContributors: Simon Hartley and Ross McDonald

Photo: Dr. Sue Gordon AM and Renelda Durilla.

Polly Farmer off to a roaring start!It is with great excitement that we welcome ‘The Graham (Polly) Farmer Foundation’ back to Groote Eylandt. This time around we have brought with us a new approach in the form of Learning Clubs. Learning Clubs are designed to increase academic results of Indigenous Children by increasing school attendance and providing an after school tuition program. With the support of South 32 and all three schools we have been able to set up Learning Clubs in all three communities. We currently have 51 students in our program aswell as 9 tutors employed.

On the 5th of May we held our official opening, this was a tremendous event with over 120 people in attendance. It was great to see all the children attend with their families, school staff, government officials and GEMCO employees. We started the afternoon off at Alyangula Area School before making our way over to the Alyangula Learning Club, where the Foundation President Sue Gordon AM and Renelda Durilla officially welcomed the foundation back to Groote Eylandt. This was followed by a tour of the Club, accompanied by some fun activities and a great big feed for everyone.

We have our first trip off Eylandt coming up, to Cairns where we will explore the world of boarding schools as well as having lots of fun. This is a reward for children who have been attending both school and Polly Farmer. We are constantly looking at ways to expand the program and are hopeful of making a really exciting announcement regarding all 3 Learning Clubs before the end of term……. Watch this space.

By Leigh Crossman

pg. 8Issue no. 4 | Ayakwa Newsletter 2016

ayakwa issue four july 2016

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