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| Mowanjum Community | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mowanjum Community |
| State | Western Australia |
| Lga | Shire of Derby-West Kimberley |
| Postcode | 6728 |
| Established | 1912 |
| Pop | 450 |
Mowanjum Community Mowanjum Community is an Aboriginal community situated near Derby in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, associated primarily with the Wunambal, Ngarinyin, and Worrora peoples. The community is located near the Fitzroy River and Derby Airport and participates in regional networks such as the Kimberley Land Council, the Western Australian Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority, and the Shire of Derby-West Kimberley. Mowanjum is notable for its art centre connections to the Wandjina and Gwion Gwion traditions and engagements with institutions like the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of Western Australia.
Mowanjum Community traces its origins to mission and settlement movements involving the Presbyterian Church, the Government of Western Australia, and pastoral stations such as Mount Anderson and Derby Station, with historical interactions with explorers like Alexander Forrest and John Forrest and events tied to the Kimberley pastoral expansion and the pearling industry. The community’s recorded development followed policies shaped by the Native Administration and the Aborigines Act, involving the Department of Native Affairs and the Church Missionary Society as well as wartime mobilisations connected to World War II and the Dampier Peninsula relocations. Post-war regional shifts linked Mowanjum to legal developments such as the Native Title Act and to advocacy by organisations including the Kimberley Land Council, the Central Land Council, and the Aboriginal Legal Service. Cultural revival efforts involved collaborations with museums and researchers from the Australian National University, the University of Western Australia, and the National Museum of Australia.
Mowanjum Community lies within the King Sound catchment and is influenced by the Fitzroy River floodplain, the Great Sandy Desert boundary and the Indian Ocean coastal climate, with ecological links to the Dampier Peninsula, Buccaneer Archipelago, and Derby wharf areas. Surrounding bioregions and conservation efforts involve Parks and Wildlife Service reserves, Ramsar-listed wetlands near Roebuck Bay, and land management programs coordinated with the Kimberley Land Council, the Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, and the Commonwealth Department of the Environment. The local environment supports species of cultural significance documented by researchers at the CSIRO, the Australian Museum, and the Western Australian Museum, and land-use planning has referenced documents from the Shire of Derby-West Kimberley and the Department of Planning.
The population of the community is predominantly Aboriginal, with membership drawn from groups recognised in anthropological and legal records such as the Wunambal, Ngarinyin, Worrora, and Bunuba peoples and genealogies recorded in censuses by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and studies from Flinders University and the University of Western Australia. Demographic profiles have been included in reports by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations, and the Department of Communities, and have been considered in service delivery planning by the Shire of Derby-West Kimberley and the Kimberley Development Commission.
Cultural life in the community features traditional practices tied to Wandjina and Gwion Gwion rock art traditions and songlines linked to figures recorded in ethnographies by Daisy Bates, Norman Tindale, and Ronald and Catherine Berndt, with contemporary art promoted through networks such as the Aboriginal Art Centre Hub, the Remote Arts Network, and partnerships with the National Gallery of Victoria. Languages spoken include Kriol and traditional languages documented by linguists at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, the University of Sydney, and University of Melbourne research programs, and language revival projects have collaborated with AIATSIS, the Living Languages program, and the Kimberley Language Resource Centre.
Local governance is administered through an incorporated Aboriginal Corporation registered with the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations and liaises with the Shire of Derby-West Kimberley, the Australian Government Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, and the Western Australian Department of Communities. Community services are delivered in coordination with agencies including the Department of Social Services, the Aboriginal Hostels Limited, and the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and planning involves stakeholders like the Kimberley Development Commission, the National Indigenous Australians Agency, and the WA Police Force for regional safety initiatives.
Economic activity in the area includes art production sold through galleries such as the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of Western Australia, and commercial galleries in Broome and Perth, as well as employment related to tourism operators operating in Derby, Buccaneer Archipelago cruises, and regional cattle stations like Fossil Downs. Infrastructure connections involve Derby Airport, the Great Northern Highway, power and telecommunications contractors linked to Horizon Power and Telstra, water services coordinated with the Water Corporation, and housing projects supported by the Australian Government Housing Australia Future Fund and state housing initiatives.
Educational services include a local school program aligned with the Western Australian Department of Education and partnerships with TAFE colleges such as North Regional TAFE and community training providers funded through the Australian Government and the Kimberley Training Institute. Health services are provided through programs run by the Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services, the Western Australian Country Health Service, and outreach clinics supported by the Royal Flying Doctor Service and community-controlled health organisations, with additional support from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and Aboriginal health research partnerships at the University of Notre Dame Australia.
Category:Aboriginal communities in Western Australia Category:Derby-West Kimberley