MAYALA ARE BACK MANAGING THEIR COUNTRY
In November 2024, Mayala Traditional Owners' long struggle to regain traditional land & sea country in the Kimberley ended in victory when The Mayala Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) was dedicated.
Traditional Owner Janella Isaac – who is also a Senior Project Officer with the Mayala Inninalang Aboriginal Corporation – said the dedication was the fulfilment of a long-awaited dream.
“Country is happy because an IPA is a voice,” Janella said. “That voice is carried through us as Country managers because we are the voice for the voiceless, the animals, the endangered species, everything living on Country that doesn’t have a voice, so that we can protect them from threats.”
“We wouldn’t be able to take the steps forward if it wasn’t the support we got through Country Needs People.”
The Mayala IPA covers 12,000ha [120sq km] of land and 360,000ha [3,600sq km] of sea and includes hundreds of islands in the Buccaneer Archipelago, just off the western part of the Kimberley coastline. The dedication also means that the entire west Kimberley coastline from Kalumburu to the Dampier Peninsula is now protected by IPAs.
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Meet Mayala Traditional Owner Janella Isaac
Mayala Sea Country
Mayala Sea Country is home to five species of sea turtles, sawfish and dugong, while the land is home to threatened terrestrial species like the golden bandicoot and northern quoll. Dugongs and whales also have a strong presence in these rich tropical northern waters which are largely unvisited by outsiders.
A gifting ceremony was held at the IPA dedication, where Elders and young people passed each other gifts from the sea to acknowledge the role of both generations in caring for Country.
“When the Elders gifted the young champions at the ceremony, looking at their faces I could see the old people from before."
"The Elders that fought so hard for the IPA and that had the initial aspiration for an IPA on Country,” Janella said. “They’d be jumping for joy – you know that the Elders are happy, you know that the ancestors are happy.”
Reasserting ancestral ties
The Mayala people’s journey to reassert their age-old ties to their Country began in the year 1998 when they lodged a Native Title claim.
“Mayala people are a semi-displaced people… because of the impacts of colonisation,” Janella said. “However, we still maintained our culture and our right practices on Country in order to care for Country, look after Country and have that interconnectedness with Country.
“The movement of Mayala people on Country over the years has been quite up and down. But when you do go back to your own Country, you not only step on the beaches but you’re stepping into the spirit-scape and you’re connecting with the Elders, the ancestors, the old people that have gone before you, and to feel them there it’s just a powerful, very powerful feeling that comes from deep within.”
In 2017 Country Needs People started discussions with Mayala and Kimberley Land Council (KLC) representatives around helping Mayala prepare for managing their Country.
Traditional Owners at the helm of marine protection
Around the same time the WA Government announced its intention to create a 660,000ha [6,600sq km] marine park off the Kimberley coast, with the proposed Buccaneer Peninsula Marine Park to include the Sea Country of the Mayala, Bardi Jawi, and Dambeemangaddee peoples.
Following the announcement the Bardi Jawi began developing their view of how the proposed marine park should be zoned and managed. Bardi Jawi Rangers and the Bardi Jawi IPA were already well established, and this formed a strong foundation for their work.
CNP supported technical specialists to work with Bardi Jawi and soon it was decided to extend this support to Mayala, who in 2018 finally won their Native Title claim. With assistance from CNP and KLC, Mayala started work on developing their own IPA application designed to inform land and sea Country planning in conjunction with the greater marine park proposal.
Building a Ranger team
The Mayala also started work on building their own dedicated Ranger team, a process that was helped along by a successful application for development funding in the 2021 IPA funding round.
“Mayala [IPA] is pretty much made up of islands and saltwater,” Janella said. “We're doing a little bit of research, but I think the big part of it is just getting our structures right to deliver the Ranger program.
“Identifying where the cultural values are and what areas really need to be protected through that planning process – and being supported by Country Needs People – was a big step for Mayala in itself."
"I think the relationship, the communications, it’s just so open and transparent between Mayala people and Country Needs People. The backbone support, the role they played over the years, and that advocacy work strengthened Mayala’s voice towards getting an IPA now.”
The Mayala Inninalang Aboriginal Corporation is now managing the Mayala IPA with support from the KLC. The Corporation also co-manages the Mayala Marine Park which was formally established in July 2022 alongside two adjoining marine parks – the Bardi Jawi Gaarra and Maiyalam Marine Parks – which are co-managed by the Bardi Jawi and Dambeemangaddee Traditional Owners.
Banner Image: Mayala IPA Dedication Ceremony. Photo: Janella Isaac, Mayala Inninalang Aboriginal Corporation. Inset images of Mayala by Sam Frederick.
