Seeking Support from Communal Landholders

The vision being pursued by Bana Yarralji is their personal vision, and, it has proven, a vision shared by many of the 1000 strong Nyungkal countrymen, plus the 5000 or more strong Yalanji nation (of whom Nyungkal are just one of approximately five groups).

Just as the Bana Yarralji vision is both a personal vision plus a shared vision; similarly, it turns out, the rights Marilyn Wallace et al have to occupy, use, and enjoy the ancesteral lands on which Bana Yarralji have been building their tiolet block etc are both individual rights and rights shared with as many as 1000 strong Nyungkal countryment, plus 5000 or more members of the Yalanji nation.

Not surprisingly, then, when Australian law and legal practices mix with local Aboriginal lore and legal process, there is much that gets entangled, even after the Australian Federal Court has determined what rights people such as Marilyn Wallace et al hold, and who holds those rights!!

The Bana Yarralji cultural entrepreneurs are seeking to exercise rights they are sourcing from within local indigenous lore; as individual rights to tell of their lores,; to host guests; to show off their lands and waters; to build a small family business; and to derive an income as their preferred means to achieve a more widely shared vision and dream.

Unfortunately the registered title holders of the lands on which Bana Yarralji is building it's toilets; establishing it's base; and striving to launch their small family cultural enterprise is, in fact, a corporate body and land trust charged by the Federal Court and State Government with holding the land on behalf of 1000 strong Nyungkal people plus greater than 5000 strong Yalanji nation

The challenge being reported in this post, then, is the challenge faced by Marilyn Wallace, Peter Wallace and Bana Yarralji of trying to win the support of the relevant corporate body and land trust, Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation, without whose support it is not possible for Bana Yarralji to obtain a lease for the portion of Lot 7, 873 Shiptons Flat Road they are seeking to operate from .. withou whose understanding, support and assistance the Bana Yarralji cultural enterprise might not ultimately succeed

On Thursday last week, then, 28 July 2011, Bana Yarralji cultural entreprenuers arranged a meeting with members of the Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporations board, plus senior staff within that organisations, to seek to explain exactly how it is that a cultural enterprise supported by a land trust can assist realize a vision and dream shared by the many.

The photograph  below, then, was taken in some spare space found around the Balkanu Cape York Development offices - at a table especially assembled for the purpose, showing the Bana Yarralji cultural entrepreneurs, Jabalbina Yalanji board members and staff, plus Cape York Instutitute staff and interns .. all having just met to explain, explore and begin building potential understanding and trust sufficient to actually see Bana Yarralji supported to apply business principles realizing a communally shared dream

Ancient Aliens: Hosting the History Channel

The future for Bana Yarrralji it seems, in the pursuit of their vision of seeing local Aboriginal people on country and local Aboriginal lore more fully respected and restored to country .. the future it seems is in their being distinctly Aboriginal hosts providing a distinctly cultural experience to wide range of visitors.

Just last week these proposed Aboriginal hosts were provided with a most interesting and unusual hosting challenge.

Located along the main road into Cooktown, just north of the Bana Yarralji block is Kalkajacka ..ie mysterious black mountains, known within local Aboriginal lore as the 'place of spears'  (during the heat of the day black boulders crack, and when vehciles are not driving past, one can hear the sound of spears)

[a look at the 6 minute utube video attached in earlier posting below will give glimpse of these mountains, plus Marilyn Wallace calling out to 'old people' or 'presence' within those mountains]

The hosting challenge presented to Marilyn and Peter Wallace, was a request form a television production unit associated with the History Channel to film Kalkjacka and learn the local Aboriginal stories for these mountains, as part of a series they have been producing entitled 'Ancient Aliens'

Promethius Productions seemed to wish to send in a film crew collecting possible evidence of Ancient Aliens having been on this earth, and Bana Yarralji had to weigh up the value of participating in an exercise of this kind.

Marilyn Wallace and co. advised Promethius Entertainment of the sacred nature of the mountain; they advised of long held beliefs in the presence of spiritual beings within the mountains; they sough reassurance that their beliefs would be respected;  they sought contribution for hosting them and/or their film crew (ie a contribution to their vision).

In the end Bana Yarralji seized the opportunity to perform before the cameras, teach a film crew and audience about cultural protocol for country, and tell of their lore before a production company and an audience who are more likely to pay some attention and give some heed to the need for strangers to be wary of places like Kalkajacka. 

A small film crew of two filmed Peter Wallace being warmed or smoked by custodians for the mountains; Marilyn Wallace called out to the old people or presence within the mountains in a language listed by UNESCO as critically endangers, and three sets of interviews were held sitting on two spare tires in an open paddock, with the sun setting on Kalkajacka. 

A good, pleasant time was held by all (see below), but still have to see if such hosting pays .. and still waiting to see what lessons may (or may not) be learnt out of such a hosting exercise!!

Forming a Genuine Business Development Partnership

Kuku Nyungkal country and Bana Yarralji's enterprise falls within Cape York Peninsula, for which a array of Cape York regional level organisations have been formed by Aboriginal peoples of Cape York to progress Aboriginal interests and aspirations.

Cape York regional organisations include Cape York Land Council, Cape York Institute, Cape York Corporation, Cape York Digital Networks, Cape York Health Council (Apunipima), Cape York Partnerships (Jawun) and more.   The Cape York regional organisation most significant to realising Bana Yarralji's hopes of establishing a successful, reliable cultural enterprise, has turned out to be Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation Pty Ltd.

In trying to record various steps being taken by Marilyn Wallace and Peter Wallace, plus the efforts being made by Bana Yarralji to launch a successful, reliable cultural enterprise  ..  Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation has recently drafted a template partnership agreement and Bana Yarralji has launched into the prospect of a partnership agreement sufficient to support thier cultural enterprise with full gusto.

Below are some photos taken from the Balkanu conference room, orginally taken closer towards the beginning of discussions with Balkanu's Caring for Country Business Unit new manager (Chris Hannocks), leading ultimately to meetings involving the funding body, senior Balkanu staff, and Caring for Country staff, with Marilyn in particular striving hard to push for and secure the maximum level of support possible from Balkanu to see Bana Yarralji realise their vision, stay in control, and most effectively launch their enterprise (against the odds?)

Hosting School of Earth and Environmental Sciences Students on Country

Bana Yarralji's future prospect of becoming a viable, sustainable cultural enterprise, it seems, is in Marilyn Wallace, Peter Wallace, their family and friends becoming good hosts on country.

(see previous posting about Mike's Magic Dougnut below)

A little earlier this year. back in June, Bana Yarralji were provided perfect opportunity to be the kind of hosts they are being encouraged to be ie providing a distinctly local Aboriginal cultural experience from their block of land, Lot 7, 873 Shiptons Flat Road (Kunawarra Estate, Nyungkal country)

James Cook University's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences lecturer, Sharon Harwood;

i.   heard Marilyn Wallace speaking out on local ABC Radio inviting visitors from around the world to come and visit her country in the hope of making income enabling Kuku Nyungkal people to  live, and make a living on Kuku Nyungkal country;

ii.  asked Bana Yarralji if they would be willing to talk to and host a block of students from around the world who would be keen to experience a bit of indigenous Australia as part of of a 'Planning for Sustainable Communities in a Changing Environment' course they would be doing.

Marilyn Wallace who has some past experience as a teacher or teacher aide, greatly valued the opportunity to host a group of students from around the world on her country .. and it wasn't long before they were all there, on Lot 7, being presented with Marilyn and Peter's shining vision of the future

Not quite a business venture at this point, but a valuable experience in what it's like to host University students on country; being an hosting exercise and potential beginnings of a new relationship with James Cook University's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences that Bana Yarralji would like to build upon and extend into the future.

A formal letter of thanks was recieved, some promise  of being forwarded some of the case study work the students produced has been made, Marilyn Wallace has been invited to meet senior officers in the Planning Institute of Australia, and enjoyable experience had by all!!

Towards Sustainability => Mikes Magic Doughnut

Bana Yarralji managed to obtain the absolutely invaluable assistance of the Cape York Institute to assist review all of their dreams and visions variously documented over more than 10 years, and so point them down the optimum path to realizing those dreams and visions.

Bana Yarralji started off with a sustainabilty compass (courtesy of Andre Grant from the Centre for Appropriate Technology) wildly spinning from N - nature past W - wellbeing through S - society/culture .. into E economy etc:

Now, following the Cape York Institute Review, Bana Yarralji has ended up with Mike's Magic Doughnut, within the core of which Bana Yarralji's future is believed to lie, as a 'host' to whole range of paying invitee's and visitors offering up a place for cultural experiences, wellbeing experiences, nature experiences, with economic divedends being ploughed back into realizing Bana Yarralji's vision to see Nyungkal lore restored, and Nyungkal people living and working on country.

For Bana Yarralji's cultural enterprise endeavour, then, Friday 29 July was a significant day, as it is the day that Mike's Magic Doughnut was explained to Marilyn and Peter Wallace's family and friends, and the decision was made to form the Bana Yarralji enterprise as a special kind of hosting service operating from country, creating paying partnerships and offering a country based cultural hosting services to begin generating income to pay to make Bana Yarralji's dreams and visions come real.

This, then, is to be the essence of the emerging cultural enterprise, and below are two photos, one of Mike Winer and Helen Murphy (authors of the Bana Yarralji sustainability plan), and one of Peter and Marilyn considering the advice and direction obtained.

Starting off with a Toilet Block

One of the key catalysts that has worked to transform two cultural entrepreneur's dreams and visions into a real life venture has been the building of a toilet block recommended to Marilyn and Peter by the Centre for Approriate Technology back in 2008 as being the first essential step to achieving their dreams.

A planner from James Cook University has made the comment that community development in remote areas is all about toilet blocks!   For Marilyn, Peter, and Andre Grant (Centre for Appropriate Technology), for more than three years, it has certainly been 'all about tiolet blocks', recently culminating in a recent newspaper article subtitled 'Cape York's most expensive loo.

The effort involved in actually seeing a toilet block built at the place chosen for Marilyn and Peter by Marilyn's father, within core Nyungkal country (ie Kunawarra estate)  turned out to be a matter of sheer determination and persistence working through over $140 000 worth of pro-bono support and assistance from groups such as Engineers without Borders, Aurecon, and Norton Rose ..  consulting people, building relations, preparing plans, draw up all the designs, producing reports, addressing legal issues, obtaining all necessary approvals etc etc.

The same planner from James Cook University (Sharon Harwood) has also described Marilyn, Peter et al's combined efforts to find way through the maze of regulations, laws, and approvals is being a first for almost any Aboriginal based enterprise in Cape York.

Whatever the case may be, the last three weeks represent a very significant milestone, laying a very substantial foundation from which the Bana Yarralji cultural enterprise hopes and expects to be able to launch:   ie after more than three years and long extended efforts by many, the toilet block is finally being built  .. and on being built, is starting to look a bit like a palace from which Marilyn and Peter plus family will be able to oversee the whole Bana Yarralji cultural enterprise?

Introducing Kuku Nyungkal country

Bana Yarralji Bubu is the trade name Marilyn Wallace, Peter Wallace and some of their more extended family have chosen for their cultural enterprise. 

Bana Yarralji Bubu translates, within the critically endangered Kuku Nyungkal language to mean "cool, freshwater country" .. an appropriate trade name for a venture that is so focused on opening up a better future for the rich World Heritage listed, wet tropical forests, springs  waterfalls, waterholes, and waters that is the home of Kuku Nyungkal country.

A good introduction to:

*  the cultural entreprenuers (Marilyn & Peter Wallace);
*  to the country into which they wish to restore Kuku Nyungkal people and Kuku Nyungkal lore;
*  to the Kuku Nyungkal language that they wish to hear spoken again in thise area, and
*  to the place on country from which they are making their visions and dreams come true

..  is all available in the form of a short 6 minute video in which Marilyn features, entitled "Walking on Country with Spirits"