Darumbal People Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC (DPAC) identified that access to Country is a significant custodianship value enabling Darumbal people to connect with and care for Country. Much of Darumbal Country is taken up by various land uses (grazing and agriculture, defence, national parks and residential) so prioritising access to Country is important in order to share knowledge, language and culture.

Proposed strategy:

• Cultural and language program developed

Result from reduction of identified threat:

Darumbal’s long-connection to Country is sometimes undervalued by the wider community including scientists and natural resource managers. This devaluing threatens Darumbal’s capacity to ‘look after Country our way’. Darumbal People Aboriginal Corporation (2020) shared that Indigenous knowledge is often not considered, is misunderstood or perceived as inferior to western sciences. For example, “Traditional Custodians are regarded as stakeholders to environmental projects without realising that the ecological character of country, and the health of that country, is intertwined with their identity” (DPAC:2020).

The proposed strategy promotes increased connection to Country through language, culture, ceremony, dance and sharing knowledge, resulting in empowered people with a strong identity.

The strategy identifies a number of results that Darumbal would like to see through training Darumbal teachers, a language program, Junior Ranger program, Land and Sea Country Ranger program and wider community education about Darumbal.

Darumbal People Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC subsequently identified the development of a Junior Rangers Coordination Team was a priority in order to enhance the successful Junior Rangers and BROLGA program run by Darumbal Enterprises.

Interested in this project and want to learn more?
Get in contact with the Traditional Custodians by contacting Darumbal People Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC – admin@darumbal.com.au