transmission of cultural knowledge and practices

8/12/2019 Transmission of Cultural Knowledge and Practices

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Martu country covers 136,000km.

It is located in the Western Desert region

of WA

The Martu people were among the last

Aboriginal people to come into contact with

non-Indigenous Australia (in the 1950s and

1960s)

Traditional knowledge about important places, stories and

practices is commonly held by the elders of the community.

Traditionally, they pass on this knowledge to the younger

generations in quite structured ways. However, in some

communities this no longer occurs, and important cultural

knowledge is being lost.

This is an issue that has created concern amongst

the elders of the Martu people who are fearful that

contemporary ways of life, and modern distractions like

computer games and night clubs, are disrupting thetraditional ways of knowledge sharing. They are working to

solve this problem.

Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa operates three programs: the Martu

ranger program, the Caring for Country (Mankarr) program,

and the Return to Country (Jukurrpa Ninti) initiative.

Martu elders have been involved with the design and

implementation of all of these programs. They actively share

their knowledge about Martu culture with the younger Martu

people who carry out the work.

The programs recognise and acknowledge the experience

and skills of the older members of the community. This

demonstrates for them that they are valued and respected.

Younger members of the community are encouraged to

work with their elders in carrying out important work on

country. They earn a living while absorbing the knowledge oftheir elders.

Martu People, Western Desert, WA

Transmission ofCultural Knowledgeand Practices

MANAGING OUR HERITAGEA Guide for Indigenous Land Managers

Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa is a Martu organisation dedicated to

maintaining Martu culture and creating a sustainable

economy for Martu people. Here they are taking

GPS coordinates for Jukurrpa Places.

CASE STUDY


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The Martu Ranger Program

Many younger members of the Martu community are

employed as rangers. This work is supported through the

Working on Country Program. They patrol large areas

in four-wheel drives and helicopters, identifying and

addressing land management issues. They often draw

on the knowledge of their elders to devise management

strategies when issues are identified.

Caring for Country

The concept of caring for country is reinforced in the minds

of younger Martu people by their work with their elders.

Caring for Country teams complement the work of the Martu

rangers. They monitor water resources, native plants and

animals, and sources of traditional food.

The abundance and location of bush tucker is recorded

by Caring for Country teams so these resources can be

managed according to traditional practices. Passing on

knowledge about bush foods is an important part of theCaring for Country program. Older team members do bush

tucker presentations for young students at South Newman

Primary School.

Caring for Country teams also monitor water quality at

waterholes using a variety of scientific tests combined with

traditional knowledge. From knowledge passed down by

elders, the teams now know which animal and plant species

to look for to establish whether a waterhole is healthy or not.

Caring for Country teams are involved in monitoring

threatened species such as the Great Desert Skink and the

Bilby. They have worked closely with scientists to install

sensor cameras at Bilby burrows, and night cameras to

detect Bilby activity. Data on tracks, scats, sleeping places,

and eating places have been recorded using hand-held

Cybertracker units.

One of the responsibilities of the rangers is to take care of

important resources on Martu country, such as stands of

trees that are good for making spears, boomerangs and tools.

Elders identify these important locations for the rangers.

Martu rangers map important waterholes and record the

location of significant cultural places in company with their

elders. Once recorded, the rangers monitor the places and

repair any damage caused by tourists, feral

animals, and weeds.

Stands of buffel grass, which choke out native plants

and damage food supplies for native animals, are

removed by rangers.


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Return to Country

The Return to Country program is funded through the

Australian Governments Indigenous Heritage Program. The

program is designed to re-introduce younger members of

the community to culturally significant places on country. It is

an important form of on-country learning, guided by elders.

It emphasises the importance of both physical and spiritual

connection to country.

Martu people travel in helicopters or four wheel drive vehicles

to remote Jukurrpa (Dreaming) places, known only to older

members of the community, where cultural information can bepassed to younger people in the form of stories and songs.

Participants are also introduced to the requirements of

heritage and conservation planning.

Young community-members are also taken on organised

camping and hunting trips during the school holidays,

where they learn about their country from older people. The

approach draws on traditional ways of sharing knowledge,

including the need to learn in stages. Once young people

have demonstrated their commitment to the knowledge

sharing program, they are taken back to significant places toreceive more and deeper knowledge. Sometimes, younger

Martu people are given permission by the elders to make

digital sound and image recordings of their songs and stories.

Recently, under instruction from Martu elders, a large

ranger crew cleaned a Jukurrpa (Dreaming) place where

rubbish had been dumped.

To manage fire risk in the summer and to promote

healthy vegetation, traditional fire management

practices have been introduced by the Martu rangers,

under the supervision of knowledgeable elders.

Many women, particularly senior women, are involved in the

Caring for Country program. They pass on their knowledge

about natural resources (especially bush tucker and bush

medicine) to younger Martu participants.


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Positive ResultsThe Martu programs have proved a great success. A

recent Social Return on Investment analysis showed that

for every dollar spent on these programs, there is a four-

fold increase in social benefit to the Martu community.

Martu elders express considerable pride in the younger

Martu generation and the elders themselves say that they

feel that they are fulfilling their responsibility to pass on their

cultural knowledge.

Younger Martu people also express pride and self-

confidence arising out of the trust shown in them by

elders. School students have positive role models in the

community.

Many Martu rangers report that they go to town less often

and come back to their country quickly because of their

desire to continue with the ranger work. There are now

so many young Martu people wanting to be involved in

the Ranger, Caring for Country and Return to Country

programs that Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa struggles to keep upwith the demand.

Rangers have developed a program where young Martu

community-members are taken on camping and hunting trips

during the school holidays, to share knowledge about Country.

Elders make an assessment of any conservation

work required at culturally significant places. It is the

responsibility of the Martu rangers to carry out this work

(fencing, erecting signs, stabilising eroding sites, and

cleaning significant rock holes).

Commonwealth of Australia 2013

Published June 2013

This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the

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Communities, Public Affairs, GPO Box 787 Canberra ACT 2601or email [email protected]

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