Wajarri
The Wajarri people, also spelt Wadjari, Wadjarri, Watjarri, and other variations, are an
Aboriginal Australian people whose traditional lands are in the Mid West region of Western Australia
.
Indigenous land use agreement
(ILUA) have been proceeding for some years.
Country
Wajarri lands are located in the Mid West (also known as Murchison) region, encompass an estimated 35,000 square miles (91,000 km2). The northern borders range as far as the hills above
Erivilla, and Milgun. Wadjari lands extend as far south as Cheangwa and the Roderick and upper Sanford rivers.[1]
Indigenous Land Use Agreement
Boolardy Station, the site of the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, lies on the traditional lands of the Wajarri people. The
Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (now the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources).[3]
About 15
traditional owners are involved in the negotiations, representing different groups. There are challenges involved in working out how to respect the cultural significance of the area, and how to build the infrastructure (ultimately part of the international Square Kilometre Array project) with minimal disruption to the landscape. Surveys of heritage sites have been undertaken, but the work and negotiations were somewhat disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
The Wajarri people are still able to move freely across the land, so long as they respect the radio silence. The MRO was designated a protected
CB radios, and other devices, so as not to interfere with radio telescopes.[3]
Language
Wajarri is one of the Kartu languages.[4]
See also
- Yamatji - sometimes used to mean a member of the Wajarri people, but also has wider usage
Notes
Citations
- ^ Tindale 1974, pp. 257–258.
- ^ "Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory". CSIRO. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ a b c Prendergast, Joanna; Lewis, Chris (7 November 2020). "Why stargazers, modern and ancient, covet a tract of land in Australia's arid heart". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ Koch 2004, p. 36.
Sources
- "AIATSIS map of Indigenous Australia". AIATSIS.
- "Tindale Tribal Boundaries" (PDF). Department of Aboriginal Affairs, Western Australia. September 2016.
- ISBN 978-9-027-27354-3.
- Koch, Harold (2004). "A methodological history of Australian linguistic classification". In ISBN 978-9-027-29511-8.
- McConvell, P.; Thieberger, Nicholas (November 2001). "State of Indigenous languages in Australia 2001" (PDF). Department of the Environment and Heritage.
- Tindale, Norman Barnett (1974). "Wadjari (WA)". Aboriginal Tribes of Australia: Their Terrain, Environmental Controls, Distribution, Limits, and Proper Names. Australian National University.