Garma Festival

"I extend a special welcome to The Hon Clare Martin, Chief Minister of the Northern Territory. We are building on our close working relationship with the Northern Territory government for all of our people."

The Djakamirri Wangawu forum has been hosted by the Yothu Yindi Foundation at Garma 2002. It brings together Yolngu clan leaders, land owners, and environment managers from northeast Arnhem Land with people from around Australia and the world, including Indigenous people and representatives from non-government and government organizations, mining and exploration industries, local land management groups, universities and other bodies.

Yolngu lands and seas are precious to the Yolngu traditional owners, whose way of life, culture and future are tied up with the well-being of their environment. The presence of the bauxite mine on the Gove Peninsula has presented difficult challenges for Yolngu. In response, Yolngu are developing unique caring for country strategies concerning governance of places and species jeopardised by mining and associated activities. The work of the Dhimurru Land Management Corporation carried out by Yolngu rangers on behalf of all the clan groups is leading the way in combining Yolngu knowledge and Balanda management tools.

The recent acquisition of the mine by Alcan brings a new approach to management of the bauxite operations. Yolngu leaders invite Alcan to join in the spirit of Garma to understand the history of the mining project and to collaborate with the Yolngu land owners to negotiate a new foundation for a future relationship based on mutual respect, partnership and equity.

Galarrwuy Yunupingu explained:

"Why is it that people come to Arnhem Land, and find it to be a beautiful place? Caring for the environment depends upon things being in place. Things out of place - beach plants planted in the hills - feel wrong, look out of place.

What is mining going to do to our land? To me as a person, to how I eat, to how I work in my life and to how I connect to country and place? When we first responded to mining we said, "no mining, no mining". When the mining companies came they brought social change. At Nhulunbuy there was walkabout land with food, a billabong. That land became the Woolworths. Now everybody stands around the takeaway - the diet that gives us diabetes. However, despite bemoaning aspects of its impact, it is now no good thinking that mining can be stopped and will not continue. We have to work together with the mining companies to mitigate the socially damaging side of mining".

Galarrwuy Yunupingu has announced a special initiative, inviting mining and Indigenous leaders of Australia to a retreat on country to discuss environmental, cultural, social, economic and governance issues as part of the sustainability agenda. These issues are inextricably entwined. The agenda is consistent with the implementation of, and building upon, the industry's Global Mining Initiative and Garma. In response, the Minerals Council of Australia and the mining representatives at this Garma Forum have expressed their appreciation and acceptance of the invitation and their commitment to facilitating industry participation. Marrpan - the turtle songs and knowledge of northeast Arnhem Land - has been the theme uniting the workshops at the Djakamirri Wangawu Forum. Galarrwuy noted, "One dimension of the care of land and sea is the focus of the Garma on the Marrpan. We must keep fighting through the government and the Land Councils to set up a new management scheme for the survival of the turtles. Careless commercial fishing boats along our coastlines leave nets behind with fish, sharks, crocodiles, turtles, dugongs dying in these discarded nets. This is careless, mindless. There are other ways of fishing: the boats do not need to rape the bottom of the sea to net prawns. The fate of the sea turtle is also the fate of the environment, the fate of the people and the fate of our culture.

The Marrpan has been the central theme of the five-day gathering at Gulkula, as part of the Garma ceremony that presents the great traditions of Yolngu philosophy, religion, music, dance and art. The Forum and the traditional workshops, including the Music Symposium held at Yirrnga, the Yidarki Master Class, the Yolngu Women's Workshop, have offered the opportunity to talk, share and learn.

Environmental sustainability and governance was the challenge for Yolngu and visitors who worked in groups to discuss caring for country and environmental management, sustainable tourism, mining, ways of protecting cultural and intellectual property rights for Yolngu. The youth, both Yolngu and visiting groups from around Australia, held a special forum about their own issues.

Encounters and conversations between Yolngu, sponsors and visitors have led to greater understanding of Yolngu projects and approaches to protecting their environment. These included the challenges of protecting endangered species, such as marine turtles, and controlling invasive flora and fauna. Speakers emphasised that looking after country needs both Yolngu and western knowledge. In particular, a new deal needs to be negotiated to ensure the survival of Yolngu peoples and the unique environment of northeast Arnhem Land. Elders have a pivotal role because they are knowledgeable about Yolngu ways of caring for country and this means acknowledging the strength and importance of traditional culture, including songs, dance, paintings and land governance.

The biggest challenge is looking after the people of the land. Too often, the government and public service create an artificial barrier between country and people, ignoring the many social issues that our rangers also deal with.

The Garma workshops have drawn people together in lively discussions of projects, ideas and experiences. Yolngu people led the workshops, sharing their concepts of governance of land, sea and the environment with visitors from a number of organisations, including: Alcan, the World Wide Fund for Nature, Environment Australia, the Northern Land Council, the Parks and Wildlife Commission, Rio Tinto Pty Ltd (and several of its subsidiaries), Shell, the Minerals Council of Australia, Telstra, the Myer Foundation, ATSIC and other sponsors and visiting groups.

Galarrwuy's brother and leader of the Yothu Yindi band, Mandawuy Yunupingu, has said, "I think most non-Aboriginal Australians accept that there is a deep intellectual and philosophical strength to Aboriginal knowledge. But they seem to think of it as a mystery. I hope we are less of a mystery now."