1. Oncountry Learning: Indigenous Studies
10th Anniverary, 2013
Introductory Lecture and Overview of
Yorta Yorta culture, history and connections
with Study Region

2. Yorta Yorta Occupation of Barmah-Millewa Forest Wetlands
Yorta Yorta - Bangerang are one and of the same group.
B-M is in the heartland of Yorta Yorta Nation-Ancestral Land & Waters
Yorta Yorta committed to conserving Forest Welands-is the keeping place of their cultural heritage.
Joint Management under handback/leaseback of Barmah-Millewa will ensure continuity of natural & cultural values.

3. Key Factors to understanding Indigenous Culture & Land Relations
Aboriginal culture in its proper time perspective-past & present as one.
The concept of change adaption & continuity- an evolving process familiar to all cultural groups
The existence of an ongoing-living culture that has survived & continues to maintain its identity & connections with the ancestral lands

4. BM: Habitat for Diversity of Species
Forest-wetlands contain a diverse range of vegetation communities & wildlife species and is an Australian icon site.
A habitat for the majority of threatened species in northern Victoria & southern New South Wales.
Forest-wetlands assist in alleviating pressure on flooding downstream.
Use by many people for cultural, nature-based, & recreational activities.

5. Ramsar Convention & China, Japan Migratory Bird Agreement (Ramsar comes under UNESCO which is a specialised agency of the UN System
Barmah Moira Lakes, protected under Ramsar Convention (The signing of the Convention took place in 1971 in the small Iranian town of Ramsar (since then, it has taken the common name of the Ramsar Convention).
China & Japan Migratory Birds Agreement: (CAMBA,1986 & JAMBA,1974,) Agreement on international cooperation for the conservation of migratory species & for the protection of specific habitats. Great Egret & White-bellied Sea-eagle (two birds BM listed).
Other birds are Rainbow Bee-eater, Cattle Egret, Greenshank, Glossy Ibis, White- throated Needletail, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Latham's Snipe, Red-necked Stint, Fork- tailed Swift and Caspian Tern (DCE 1992).
White Breasted Sea Eagle
Great Egret
Japan, 2008

6. Yorta Yorta Occupation
Timeline & Evidence of prior occupation

8. Timeline & Indigenous Survival
Last two centuries (non-Indigenous occupation) dominates the timeline & the intensity of change that has taken place.
Adaption cultural continuity & survival is outcome that needs to be recognised.

9. Cultural Heritage: A Living Heritage
Mural of Biami Rainbow Serpent, Dharnya Centre

10. Stratigraphy(timeline) of Occupation Sites Mounds & Middens
Recent
Oldest
Timeline of Occupation

11. Cultural Heritage Values: Scarred Trees

12. Mound Sites: Barmah State Park
Lagoon& Natural Food Storage System, Barmah Forest

13. Traditional Fish Trap System
Midden

14. Yorta Yorta Site Protection
Traditional Stone Tool Working Site

15. Yorta Yorta Sites Recorded at ( From: Management Plan for Yorta Yorta Heritage, Yorta Yorta Nations Inc,1999:38-40)

16. CULTURAL CONTINUITY THROUGH
Community, Art, Music, Theatre, Dance & Sport

17. Cummera & Maloga Heritage
Lynch Cooper World Champion, 1930s
Maloga:
Sir Doug Nichols
Cummeragunja: 1889-Present
Aboriginal Leaders 1930s

18. Cultural Continuity in the Yorta Yorta way
Yanagai Yanagai
Play, 2006
Andrea James
Cultural Continuity in the Yorta Yorta way
Wally & Sony Cooper: Yorta Yorta Dance Group
Lin Onus, Jimmy’s Billabong
Barmah Lake, Yorta Yorta country
Yorta Yorta artist Lin Onus ( ) spent much of his life bridging the gap between urban and traditional, art forms. He had a deep social conscience & his work has inspired a new generation of young Indigenous artists from south-eastern Australia.
Lou Bennet & Tiddas
Debra Cheetam
Pecan Summer Opera
Jimmy Little

19. The Cummera Walk Off, 1939
In 1939, the first-ever mass strike of Aboriginal people in this country occurred – the Cummeragunja Walk-off. Over 200 residents packed-up and left Cummeragunja in protest of the conditions and the oppressive management. They crossed the border from New South Wales into Victoria in contravention of the rules of the New South Wales Protection Board.
This protest showed the strength and organisational skills of Aboriginal people and their supporters. Many rallied behind the Walk-off, collecting food and provisions and transporting them up to the Murray River to the protestors.
Officials were frustrated by these Aboriginal rebellions and were embarrassed when the media began carrying stories about conditions Aboriginal people were living under. The Cummeragunja Walk-off in particular brought changes to Aborigines Act of New South Wales in 1942.
Pecin Summer Opera on Cummera Walk Off, Shepparton,2010

20. Day of Mourning Protest, 1938 led to The Cummera Walk-Off, 1939

21. From Cummera to the Flat, Mooroopna, 1939-1957

22. Rumbalara Aboriginal Coop
Major service delivery organisation in Region that began in the 1970s under the Whitlam Governments Self Determination policy.
Employs over 100 people and runs diversity of programs in health, housing, family care, and justice, aimed a ‘closing the gap’.

23. Cultural Continuity through Sport, Health & Education
Cummera
Footy
Team,1927
Academy of Sport Health & Education, Shepparton, 2005
(University of Melbourne)
Rumbalara Football & Netball Club, Shepparton
Oncountry Learning: Indigenous Studies visit to RFNC Uni of Melb,2005.

24. ACHIEVING JUSTICE VIA THE POLITICO - LEGAL PROCESS?
THE YORTA YORTA STRUGGLE

25. Yorta Yorta v State of Victoria & Ors, Trial (1996-1998)
Barriers to achieving land justice under Anglo legal system & way Mabo principles are being applied by the Courts, perverted the course of justice in the Yorta Yorta case.
Back to ‘Base Camp Politics’ - YY Agreement & BM Campaign.

26. Olney’s Test for Yorta Yorta Native Title

27. Indigenous Land Management
A Holistic view of the relationship between Land and Natural Resource Management.
‘Break Here’

28. Holistic View of Land Management & Care
Indigenous wisdom throughout the world shares a common belief system that ‘all things are related’. What happens in one area sooner or later directly or indirectly impacts on other areas. The history of imported land uses vindicates this view
‘Yorta Yorta have a long tradition of caring for forest. They ‘see the forest & all of its encompassing features (including all living entities) from a holistic viewpoint’.
(Yorta Yorta Nations Inc, 1990).

29. Rivers-Lakes & Yorta Yorta-River People
The rivers, lakes & their surrounds were very productive environments- often equated with ‘Smorgas Board theory’-variety, abundance & continuity of foods - fish, water birds, eggs, tortoises, shellfish, crayfish, possum, kangaroo & a wide range of plant foods.
Relationship between land & water in Indigenous philosophy is highlighted in Yorta Yorta occupation which is largely water based.

30. Impacts on Ancestral land & waters
The Yorta Yorta have identified a number of issues that pose threats to the preservation of their ancestral land & waters. These range from:
impacts associated with the destruction and degradation of natural and cultural values by domestic stock grazing, logging and other hard use activities.
impact of changes in traditional water regimes
In general terms these have all had a detrimental effect on the preservation and enjoyment of the land, water and its natural and cultural resources
(The Management Plan for Yorta Yorta Cultural Environmental Heritage Project, 2003).

31. Campaign for National Park & Joint Management

32. Joint as to Sole Management
Joint Management is a recently imported western construct that is used to ensure that when land is returned to Traditional Owners, it is conditional upon the land being leased back to the Government to manage jointly with the Traditional Owners.
Cooperative or Co -Management is a similar concept but the major difference between the two, is that the ownership of land stays with the Crown whereas Joint Management returns the land to the Traditional Owners under a Hand back/Lease back arrangement (VEAC, 2008: 106).
Joint Management is therefore a compromise position, between Indigenous and non Indigenous land interests , to that of ‘Sole Management’ which has been practiced by Indigenous Australians for the majority of our land management history.

33. Key Factors that bought about a more Inclusive approach by VEAC
More support groups involved in campaign to save River Reds in support of Indigenous aspirations (holistic-inclusive & more coordinated approach).
Reconciliation process has played an important part in reconciling Indigenous and non-Indigenous interests particularly on campaign side of things. Indigenous art, music, sport contributed to a greater awareness on Indigenous aspirations.
Commitment by Brumby Government to Indigenous social justice and for National Parks along the Murray ?
More efficient information systems (IT) has allowed campaign to disseminate information wider and quicker.
Public Awareness and media representations- will come back to this at end-Oncountry Education played important role
Acknowledgement of organisations, supporters, friends, and front liners in campaign for magnificent work-well done folks.

34. Dharnya Centre Withers, 1985-2012
Closed because of structural damage caused by white
ants and Government neglect, May, 2007-see Video
Online at,
See Research Paper on Cultural Tourism & the Yorta Yorta
in readings online LMS

35. McPherson Media: Newspapers in Study Area
1. Shepparton News-Shepparton*
2. Country News- Shepparton. Links with major vested interest groups including Victorian Farmers Federation; Dept Primary Industry; Rural Industries Research& Dev Coop; Australian Dairying Corporation; Grains Research & Dev Coop; Land & Water Authorities.
3. Benalla Ensign-Benalla
4. Cobram Courier-Cobram
5. Deni Pastoral Times- Deniliquin (NSW)
6. Southern Riverina News-Finley (NSW)
7. Kyabram Free Press-Kyabram
8. Riverine Herald-Echuca*
9. Campaspe News-Rochester
10.Seymour Telegraph-Seymour.
* Location of papers that reported on YYNTC

36. Region of McPherson Media

37. Traditional Yorta Yorta Lands & Control of Media Representations
Yorta Yorta Territory & insert of McPherson Media distribution

38. Apology-Wed, February
Ten years after the “Bringing Them Home Report”, the Federal Government made a formal apology to the Stolen Generations on Wednesday, 13th February 2008, committing itself to ‘Closing the Gap on Indigenous disadvantage’.
Since the delivery of the apology, the ‘Indigenous Disadvantage Report’ of Reconciliation Australia, 2009, and the Productivity Commission Report, 2010, found that across virtually all indicators there are still wide gaps between Indigenous and other Australians’ and in almost all cases ‘the gaps’ have in fact increased as mainstream economic prosperity has accelerated away from that of Aboriginal Australia’(Productivity Commission (2009) Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators Canberra Productivity Commission).
FIVE years down the track (2013) students can assess how far we've come and whether the gap has been closed, is the same, or is getting wider?

39. Key Issues
Adapting management practices to Indigenous philosophy of land and water management without compromising track record of land management
Tapping into the tourism economy to generate an economic base for local communities.
Promoting education and training through local resources like Yenbeena and Dharnya
Other issues for group discussion o

40. Key Issues (cont)-
Contribution of Indigenous knowledge to current land management practices-is it being given due recognition
Inclusion of Indigenous people in land management and care. Are Indigenous people employed in all levels of management including senior decision making level?
Joint management structures working successfully in Australia-Kakadu, Ulluru, Boodaree,(Wreck Bay ACT).

41. PATHWAYS FOR FUTURE
A negotiated settlement between government & other parties, which recognises the Yorta Yorta as the traditional owners under a handback/leaseback arrangement and inalienable freehold title (see Models of Structures for Joint Management of NP’s in current BM Campaign research, 2004).

42. ‘Keeping it for the Future’
Old Dhungulla: Keep Her Flowin &
Keep the River Reds Growin
Maranooka & Thank you for your support for Yorta Yorta struggle
Lunch at Morning Glory and on Bus at 1pm for Site Visits & Story Lines