In July 2002 Kaanju people associated with clan estates on the Wenlock and Pascoe Rivers and living at Chuula established Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation under the Commonwealth Aboriginal Councils and Associations Act 1976.
In March 2002 the Chuula community compiled a '13-page report', Chuulangun, Pa'un and Malandaji - Kaanju Homelands Development 2002 and Beyond, that built on an earlier paper we compiled, Wenlock Outstation Development Plan 1999/2000. Both documents outline our vision for the reestablishment of Kaanju communities on our homelands on the Wenlock and Pascoe Rivers, Cape York Peninsula. They also highlight the problems we have experienced in moving back to homelands and suggest possible solutions.
The 13-page report stresses that there are serious inadequacies within regional and sub-regional Aboriginal organisations and government bodies to meet the needs and aspirations of Aboriginal people living on homelands. In the case of the former, a number of regional and sub-regional indigenous bodies, community councils and land trusts have been formed in Cape York over the last 25 or so years. Many of these organisations are comprised of several families and clan groups from differing tribal groupings and are based on one group's traditional lands. This situation often creates tensions within the body and communities involved, with particular individuals and families directing proceedings and the allocation of available resources.
In our reoccupation of homelands over the last decade we have found that specific organisations whose role it has been to support Aboriginal people of the region have been less than supportive, and often a hindrance, to us realising our homelands development aspirations.
In the case of government bodies, the 13-page report describes a number of experiences of the Chuula community that highlight the need for a complete re-evaluation of homelands policy on Cape York, if indeed a policy exists at all. We recommend that such a policy be formulated by Aboriginal people living on their homelands for only those people on the ground know how they want to live and the best way to manage country. Further, funding and resources should be under the direct control of people living on their traditional lands, as at present it is clear that there is not the support or motivation at the regional level to administer homelands funds appropriately.
The report stressed two further principles that must be observed in order to facilitate appropriate homelands development:
(1) One must be living on one's traditional homelands in order to have a say in its management.
(2) The many government and non-government, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal organisations concerned with Aboriginal issues must work together and with Aboriginal people focused on the ground on their homelands if proper change is to be achieved.
The major difference between Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation and many other incorporated indigenous bodies on the Cape and elsewhere is that our organisation was formed from the grassroots level on our homelands and with the family-based group or clan as the basis for membership and governance. Membership is open only to those people who live normally and permanently at Chuulangun and/or associated Kaanju clan estates on the Wenlock and Pascoe Rivers.
Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation is managed by an annually elected executive and governing committee who meet regularly to consider planning issues, project proposals, and funding for infrastructure development and service delivery for the growing community at Chuula. As our organisation is localised and based on Kaanju governance structures, our governing committee too is indigenous and the leaders and decision-makers under Kaanju law and custom form this committee.
Much of our business and administration of the corporation's activities and finances are currently done out of a 'home-office' with a privately owned desktop computer. Since the installation of Broadband satellite Internet access in September 2002, our workload has increased dramatically. Due to our remoteness we rely on email and Internet for the majority of our business transactions. The grant proposals we have sent to date have all been submitted electronically. We have found that although we conduct our business 'in the bush' we are leaps and bounds ahead in terms of utilising technology than some regional Aboriginal organisations based in town. This we feel is to our advantage.
The main responsibility of Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation is to represent the interests of Kaanju people associated with the Wenlock and Pascoe Rivers, on land and resource management issues and to help facilitate sustainable homelands and economic development.
In doing so we have developed mutually beneficial relationships with neighbouring leaseholders on Kaanju homelands and are developing collaborative research arrangements with a number of individuals, academic and scientific organisations. Since our incorporation we have had two funding successes and hope to continue these funding relationships and foster new ones with numerous projects and proposals currently under negotiation and under development.
We have compiled a comprehensive Project and Work Programme that outline the tasks we have ahead of us in order to rebuild viable, autonomous and sustainable Kaanju communities on homelands. We are seeking funding and support for a number of these projects and activities.
Access and Transport (Airstrip, Internal roads and drainage)
Housing and Essential Services (Renovations to existing sheds, Completion of disability access and facilities)
Multi-purpose Centre Project (Administration, Land Management Office)
Education (Use of Internet, Cultural 'Elder' tutors, Indigenous and western learning, Exchange student programmes, Preschool, Primary and Secondary levels, Link up with 'Jabal' at ANU and other tertiary level institutions)
Health (Regular Royal Flying Doctor Service clinics, Training of Kaanju people as health workers, Indigenous pharmacopoeia (i.e. 'bush medicine' healing)
Employment and Training (CDEP, 'Top-up' wages from project funding, Employment outside of CDEP - project funding and income generated through enterprises)
"...(homelands) policy (must) be formulated by Aboriginal people living on their homelands for only those people on the ground (level) know how they want to live and the best way to manage country."
"...there are serious inadequacies within Aboriginal organisations and government bodies to meet the needs and aspirations of Aboriginal people living on their homelands".
