Waking Up The Snake

This week we present a very special podcast celebrating this year's NAIDOC Week in Australia. Dr Anne Poelina is a Nyikina Traditional Custodian from the Mardoowarra, Lower Fitzroy River, in the West Kimberley region of Western Australia. And if anywhere epitomizes the critical time we’re in, it’s in the spectacular cultural and natural landscapes of her homeland. Almost incredibly, there are 40,000+ fracking wells slated for this area, along with the damming of the Fitzroy River, and more ‘old-model’ industrial agriculture. Yet the new economy is also in tow here, and this is where Anne is currently focusing her extraordinary breadth of cross-cultural knowledge and experience. Anne is an international award winner, Managing Director of Madjulla Incorporated, Councillor at the Australian Conservation Foundation, a qualified nurse, traditional midwife, has multiple postgraduate degrees, and over 30 years’ experience in Indigenous health, education, language and community development. Our Director Anthony James caught up with her at her home in Broome recently, to talk about what the shape the new economy might take in the Kimberley and beyond, how we can make it happen, and the enormous opportunity in treaty, recognition and connection with Australia’s First Nations. Music: 
 Riverman, by the Pigram Brothers Song for the Mardoowarra, by Gwen Knox with Anne Poelina, played by Mick Stevens, and sung by the Broome Primary School Choir Pic: Magali McDuffie Get more: Majala - http://majala.com.au/our-people/ NAIDOC Week 8-15 July, celebrating Indigenous women - https://www.naidoc.org.au Environs Kimberley - https://www.environskimberley.org.au New Economy Network Australia - https://www.neweconomy.org.au Gwen Knox & Big Mama productions - http://www.gwenknox.com/bigmama/ The film clip of the Song for the Mardoowarra - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6ZFG0mynnk (they will be touring this month in the Kimberley, and are available for bookings from early 2019) Richard Flanagan at the National Press Club - http://www.abc.net.au/news/programs/national-press-club/2018-04-18/national-press-club:-richard-flanagan/9672524 Welcome to Country, a new travel guide to Indigenous Australia - https://www.hardiegrant.com/au/publishing/bookfinder/book/marcia-langton_s-welcome-to-country-by-marcia-langton/9781741175431 Thanks to all our listeners, supporters and systemic change-makers for enabling the production of this podcast. If you can, please help to keep us going and growing by making a tax deductible donation at www.givenow.com.au/rescopeproject. Thanks for listening.

As quoted from the Regennarration  website.

"....This week we present a very special podcast celebrating this year's NAIDOC Week in Australia. Dr Anne Poelina is a Nyikina Traditional Custodian from the Mardoowarra, Lower Fitzroy River, in the West Kimberley region of Western Australia. And if anywhere epitomizes the critical time we’re in, it’s in the spectacular cultural and natural landscapes of her homeland. Almost incredibly, there are 40,000+ fracking wells slated for this area, along with the damming of the Fitzroy River, and more ‘old-model’ industrial agriculture. Yet the new economy is also in tow here, and this is where Anne is currently focusing her extraordinary breadth of cross-cultural knowledge and experience."

"....Anne is an international award winner, Managing Director of Madjulla Incorporated, Councillor at the Australian Conservation Foundation, a qualified nurse, traditional midwife, has multiple postgraduate degrees, and over 30 years’ experience in Indigenous health, education, language and community development. Our Director Anthony James caught up with her at her home in Broome recently, to talk about what the shape the new economy might take in the Kimberley and beyond, how we can make it happen, and the enormous opportunity in treaty, recognition and connection with Australia’s First Nations."

Music: 
Riverman, by the Pigram Brothers
Song for the Mardoowarra, by Gwen Knox with Anne Poelina, played by Mick Stevens, and sung by the Broome Primary School Choir

Pic: Magali McDuffie

Get more:

Majala - majala.com.au/our-people/ 
NAIDOC Week 8-15 July, celebrating Indigenous women - www.naidoc.org.au 
Environs Kimberley - www.environskimberley.org.au 
New Economy Network Australia - www.neweconomy.org.au 
Gwen Knox & Big Mama productions - www.gwenknox.com/bigmama/ 
The film clip of the Song for the Mardoowarra - www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6ZFG0mynnk (they will be touring this month in the Kimberley, and are available for bookings from early 2019)
Richard Flanagan at the National Press Club - www.abc.net.au/news/programs/nat…-flanagan/9672524 
Welcome to Country, a new travel guide to Indigenous Australia - www.hardiegrant.com/au/publishing/b…n/9781741175431

Read more about this at Regennarration

Nyikina Cultural Centre

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Through his (story) the mapping, division and forcible alienation of Aboriginal people from their country and land has meant that many aspects of knowledge has been lost to the repeat and insidious intention of such action.

The concept of the Nyikina Cultural Centre is as all cultural centres are for Aboriginal communities and their relatedness with travellers, associated services and as a service to protect country and culture. Specifically, our daily activity and the information we generate as users of the internet can assist in the establishment, funding, development and growth of the Nyikina Cultural Centre beginning as simply as 'place based' naming.

Note: This is a concept and serves the purpose of building awareness as to how important it is that we strategically point to country when growing our connections with others. The principals of geo-tagging information is the main driver of this post.

This is how you can assist in bringing this concept to a physical reality:

• Social Media - geotag all posts that relate in any way to Aboriginal news or community activity to the Nyikina Cultural Centre, cnr Derby Highway and Derby Gibb River Road, Derby 6728 Western Australia  -17.344403, 123.665855 ....there maybe many more "hubs" and associated centres that the community is in control of.
• Connect - Join the Nyikina Cultural Centre group on Facebook and tell us what you know about that location and it's significance for you and your community - what other ideas do you have to grow awareness of what is needed on country?:
• Maps - build maps personally that use the internet to point to that geolocation  at the Nyikina Cultural Centre, cnr Derby Highway and Derby Gibb River Road, Derby 6728 Western Australia  -17.344403, 123.665855 and 'pin' digital artefacts such as photos to that location
• Attribution - in papers, documents, books, email correspondence and in all other activities that are transmitted via the digital domain and Internet, consider how you can include the following in that transcript.

Nyikina Cultural Centre, cnr Derby Highway and Derby Gibb River Road, Derby 6728 Western Australia  -17.344403, 123.665855

Over time all of this activity generates an interest in a location that will soon be known as the main reference point for the Nyikina Cultural Centre as endorsed by the Nyikina community in derby and supported in kind and activity by members of Madjulla Inc.

Geolocation specific activity builds awareness and knowledge where largely information posted to the internet benefits the organisations who monitor our personal and collective activity only. This initiative however proactively creates interest via self generated activity that then brings about positive change and awareness - actionist principles at work!

1983 Seaman Aboriginal Land Rights Inquiry

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In 1983 Lucy Marshall OAM resident of Pandanus Park near Broome in Western Australia participated in the Seaman Aboriginal Land Rights Inquiry. 

A letter was sent to Mr. Paul Seaman Qc. who was conducting an inquiry at the time into the conditions and challenges faced by Aboriginal people. A second letter was sent on the 24th August 1983 to clarify points made in the original letter regarding the Pandanus Park community.

The first letter is now available here - Seaman Inquiry Lucy Marshall Letter 1 [ PDF 7.3 MB ]

Walmadany Celebrating Country