Ayakwa. Women weave in old and new ways INSIDE THIS ISSUE. Anindilyakwa Land Council s

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1 Anindilyakwa Land Council s Ayakwa Newsletter December 2017/January 2018 FEATURED: Deserall Lalara, Annabell Amagula, Letoria Yulidjirri, Sharna Wurramara, Bernadette Watt and Tammy Lalara are some of the artists whose work will be on display at a Darwin exhibition (above). Vera Lalara (inset). Women weave in old and new ways WOMEN from Four Mile Outstation, Umbakumba and Angurugu have been bush dying homewares, wearables and silk, and designing ghost net baskets. Among them is Vera Lalara, an exceptional artist and weaver who stays up late into the night while her children sleep, weaving ghost net baskets. Old people came to Angurugu School when I was young to teach us weaving, Vera said. We go collecting Pandanus and string and dying with plants to make colours. The woman, who is from Four Mile Outstation, said she loves making baskets both the traditional ways that the old ladies teach me and these new ways. It s important, to keep my culture going, for the future. Vera is one of several Anindilyakwa artists whose work featured in an exhibition in Darwin in December. The exhibition, hosted by Aboriginal Bush Traders, is the first time baskets made using local ghost nets and bush dyed fabrics have been on sale in Darwin. INSIDE THIS ISSUE Cane toad emergency, page 3 Men s sheds, page 4 New arts website, page 6 Boarding school an option, page 7 One People. One Voice. anindilyakwa.com.au

2 December 2017/January 2018 Page 2 Commissioner helps fight mammal extinction AUSTRALIA S Threatened Species Commissioner, Gregory Andrews, visited Groote in October to help plan for recovery of the brush-tailed rabbit rat and the northern hopping mouse. The two small mammals are target species in the national Threatened Species Strategy. Gregory said they benefit from the island being cane-toad free but they were still threatened by feral cats and wildfires. He spoke to the ALC, rangers, Traditional Owners and the local community about how to help in the fight against extinction. STRATEGY: Gregory Andrews meets with the ALC, rangers, Traditional Owners and the local community. Hampers bring Christmas cheer GEBIE has been delivering Christmas hampers in Angurugu, Umbakumba and Milyakburra communities. COMPETITION: Yasmine Bara and Shianne Amagula battle it out in the Umbakumba event. GEAT and Bush Medijina came on board this year to provide every house in community with a Bush Medijina Care Pack. Fun competition brings communities together A WOMEN S competition was the highlight of a grand final basketball event in Umbakumba. Teams were a mixture of Angurugu and Umbakumba players of all ages and skill levels. The day was filled with lots of laughter, combined with a fun, competitive vibe. Other events were toddler games, shooting competitions, ball games, prizes and a free barbecue. The day coincided with NT AFL s Grand Final men s game. Many stakeholders, community members, and volunteers joined forces to support the day.

3 December 2017/January 2018 Page 3 Toad discovery prevents disaster A QUICK response from the Anindilyakwa Land and Sea Rangers has prevented a cane toad disaster on Groote Eylandt. Three adult cane toads were found hiding in the spare tyre of a car on a barge from Numbulwar to Groote Eylandt in November. All of the toads found were adults and if they had made their way to fresh water it could have been a disaster, with a single female cane toad producing up to 40,000 eggs in one single breeding event, Ranger Quarantine and Biosecurity Officer Tom Lawton said. He praised the quick actions of Harrison Herbert, Gregson Lalara and Cassandra Lalara. Tom said everyone on Groote needed to help to keep the island cane toad free. Please make sure you check your gear, car, and boat for DISASTER AVERTED: Harrison Herbert, Gregson Lalara and Tom Lawton with the three cane toads found in a car arriving from Numbulwar. a cane toad, including boots and anything that has been outside before you bring it to Groote Eylandt, he said. The Groote Archipelago is home to endangered species including the northern quoll and Mertens water monitor and to other reptiles and birds that currently have healthy populations on Groote. Many of these species have declined dramatically on the mainland as cane toads have made their way across northern Australia devastating native wildlife. Cane toads became pests after being introduced into Australia to control destructive beetles in Queensland s sugarcane crops. Anyone who sees a cane toad on Groote, should contain it and call Royalties to pay for damages CONVICTED community under the new Court Ordered Magistrate Sue Oliver members that have damaged property will have their royalties deducted, following a ruling by the District Court judge. Magistrate Sue Oliver said the court had ordered for royalties to be transferred to offset damage Royalty Deduction Scheme. The ALC is facilitating the payment ordered by the Local Court at Alyangula, and will provide proof of payment on completion.

4 December 2017/January 2018 Page 4 MORE SHEDS FOR YOUNGER MEN TUCKED away on aged care centre land in Angurugu, a small shed is giving men a place to meet, socialise and support each other. The ALC built the shed in February 2014 as a place to make spears and cultural objects and now has plans to develop more sheds for younger men. Senior men have been meeting at the current shed for activities such as painting, making didgeridoos and more. Coordinator Ian O Malley said the men did projects together with school children and this year had regularly worked with anthropologists on country recording traditional names for the Groote landscape. Instead of working alone on their interests, the shed is a space for them to interact, Ian said. He said the space was special to older men but younger men also needed a safe space to get together. SAFE SPACE: Jabani Lalara works with ochre in the current men s shed. cultural centres in Angurugu, Umbakumba and Milyakburra. It is what communities are asking for, ALC chief executive Mark Hewitt said the ALC was so the ALC is doing what it can to provide special looking at including men s sheds as part of the new spaces for various groups in community, Mark said. ALC clamps down on shopping hours THE Royalty Shoppa warehouse will now only be could to get their children to school every day. open after school hours. If toys are going to stop parents sending their And people will no longer be able to get advance children to school, then we will stop selling these payments on royalties to buy toys at the warehouse items, he said. at Pole 13, after children were found to miss school The time to play with toys is after school and in the to buy and play with toys. holidays. ALC chair Tony Wurramarrba said attending school was important for the future of Anindilyakwa children and parents needed to do everything they The warehouse part of the Royalty Shoppa program is owned by ARAC and operated by Amangarra, both Aboriginal corporations.

5 December 2017/January 2018 Page 5 Archaeologist to unearth more history arakba-wiya-giya DEPOSITS: Annie Clarke meets with Danny Lalara and Jabani Lalara at Emerald River in November. MANY traditional owners have fond memories of Annie Clark that go back 30 years. Annie said she wanted to finish analysing excavated material and find more excavation sites. Annie is an archaeologist who worked with many Any traditional owners are welcome to come and traditional owners while doing a PHD and post help with the work sorting the excavated materials doctoral research on the Anindilyakwa people s first at Angurugu next year, Annie said. contacts with outsiders in the 1990s. During 11 months of fieldwork on Groote from And new memories were made last month when she oversaw excavation of 18 different she revisited Groote to plan further excavations. archaeological sites. She returned in 1995 and 1996 to carry out more excavations and record rock art Annie plans to spend four months on the island sites around Salt Lake and in the Marngkala area next year to unearth more local history with a team of archaeology students. She will return in March The ALC is applying for ABA funding for another next year. three years of research. New ferry to Nhulunbuy, Winchelsea NEW ferry services are in early next year. would provide easier access for the pipeline to open new opportunities for Anindilyakwa people. A route from Alyangula to Nhulunbuy via Bickerton Island is expected to be operational by And the ALC is planning a new route between Bartalumba Bay and Winchelsea Island to service proposed mining exploration. GEAT manager Keshena Wilson said the new Nhulunbuy link festivals, ceremonies, funerals and family visits. GEAT is lobbying ferry operator Sealink, to take on a bus link between Umbakumba, Angurugu and Alyangula.

6 December 2017/January 2018 Page 6 New arts website launched in time for Christmas UNIQUE: Albert Mamarika with one of the beautiful spears he carved and painted (above). A woven basket (below). ANINDILYAKWA artists are celebrating the launch of their website com.au which makes their work available to international buyers. Many new and interesting works are on sale online and can also be viewed at the Anindilyakwa Arts Centre gallery. The artists have been busy weaving, bush dying, carving and painting. Many male artists, such as Albert Mamarika from Umbakumba, are carving beautiful spears and painting them brightly. Boost for sport facilities AN AGREEMENT to share sport facilities and increase sport services in a coordinated way is expected to be signed by Groote Eylandt stakeholders in early The ALC is teaming up with East Arnhem Shire Council, Bush Fit Mob and NT AFL to plan sport and recreation upgrades. ALC chair Tony Wurramarrba said Groote had a serious shortfall of healthy recreational activities for children. One of our aims is to develop the athletic potential of children, whether that s football or marathon running, Tony said. And the other is to be able to offer fun, active activities such as BMX riding and going to a water park with parents. The draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is being circulated.

7 December 2017/January 2018 Page 7 GCC forges path back into mine PRAISE: Josiah Mamarika, Terry Baillie, Corallie Ferguson, Kenny Nunggumajbarr, Rex Hood and Glen Smith with one of the new machines. GEBIE Civil and Construction (GCC) will be in a better place to win mine contracts after it replaced three excavators. A 20t and 30t excavator arrived on Groote in November following a 8t excavator in October, all to replace old, unreliable and worn out machines. General manager Glen Smith said the new diggers would allow GCC THE ALC is considering setting up a boarding school to help address poor school attendance levels. Groote Eylandt children have some of the worst attendance in the country and a group of Anindilyakwa women are passionately leading change. In November a meeting of 44 people mostly Traditional Owners discussed whether to access new revenue streams, such as the stormwater upgrade it was currently doing for the South 32 mine. The upgrade of our plant will allow us to quote on, and hopefully win many new projects. Glen said. Glen praised GCC civil manager Matt Keam and GCC workshop manager Rex Hood who worked Traditional owners call for boarding school a boarding school could be a solution. ALC chair Tony Wurramarrba said it was time to take a more extreme approach. Education is our future, Tony said. If we don t educate our children, our people won t have a healthy future. He said a boarding school would hard to forge the path for GCC back into the mine. Profits from GCC go back to GEBIE for various social initiatives such as hampers, white goods, car seats, dental services, education assistance, beds, school attendance support, festival attendance, funerals, creative arts, and much more. be set up so parents that wanted to visit children could go there and stay. The ALC met with NT Education Minister Eva Lawler and Local Member Selena Uibo in November and received strong support. The ALC has formed a Community School Reference Group and commissioned an independent expert report.

8 December 2017/January 2018 Page 8 Anindilyakwa people plan for bright future THE Anindilyakwa people will be owners of their own mine, the ALC s chair has told a national forum. We will not just be passive royalty recipients from outside parties mining on our lands, Tony Wurramarrba said at the 8th Indigenous Economic Development Forum. He said the Anindilyakwa people had traded internationally for more than 400 years until the colonists stopped it at the turn of the last century. Our future is going back to this exchange, Tony said. As an island we must do business with the outside world. My father taught me that to survive we need to work with the outside world. He told the forum that his people had come out of a century of disempowerment and were now taking their future into their own hands. In November 2016, Tony was the only Aboriginal to travel to China as part of the Chief Minister s largest ever trade delegation. The ALC has since been negotiating partnerships with China for aquaculture, renewable energy, tourism and mining. This has been the start of a very exciting exchange for our people, Tony said. ALC chair Tony Wurramarrba Personally it seems like I am just doing what my ancestors have done before me. Spotters to stop stone throwing SIX spotters will be working to ensure community members are doing the right thing. The men have been employed by the ALC to watch and report on bad behaviour, particularly by children. The ALC set up the spotter program after children were found shooting rocks off the Angurugu bridge. Builders walked off the job and returned to Darwin because they were worried about their safety. The spotters were given a phone, torch, bicycle, high-visibility jacket and a direct phone link to the police. ALC chief executive Mark Hewitt said it was a simple communityled solution that stopped the rock throwing. It was a simple pro-active thing to do that came straight from community. Mark said. The spotters will continue to work with the community and parents to stop other inappropriate behaviour, both day and night. Published by Ph Fax info@anindilyakwa.com.au 30 Bougainvillea Drive PO Box 172 Alyangula NT 0885 For editorial contributions danielacooper@outlook.com.au anindilyakwa.com.au