Indulkana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Indulkana (Iwantja)South Australia |
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 Indulkana (Iwantja)
Location in South Australia
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| Population | 338 (2021 census) | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 0872 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 396 m (1,299 ft) | ||||||||
| Time zone | ACST (UTC+9:30) | ||||||||
| Location | 1,016 km (631 mi) north-west of Adelaide | ||||||||
| LGA(s) | Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara | ||||||||
| Region | Far North | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Giles | ||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Grey | ||||||||
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| Footnotes | Locations | ||||||||
Indulkana is an Aboriginal community in South Australia. It is also known as Iwantja, named after Iwantja Creek. This community is one of six main towns on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands, often called "The Lands." Other communities include Pukatja, Amata, Kaltjiti, Mimili, and Pipalyatjara. In 2021, about 338 people lived in Indulkana.
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Where is Indulkana?
Indulkana (Iwantja) is located about 10 kilometres west of the Stuart Highway. It is about 360 kilometres south of Alice Springs. If you drive from Adelaide, it's a long trip of about 1134 kilometres. This journey usually takes around 11.5 hours.
What is the Climate Like?
Indulkana has a hot climate. In January, which is summer, the average high temperature is about 37.1 degrees Celsius. In June, during winter, the average high is around 19.7 degrees Celsius.
Nights can get cool. In January, the average low is 21.8 degrees. In June, it drops to about 5.0 degrees. The area gets an average of 222.6 millimetres of rain each year.
Time Zone
The APY Lands, where Indulkana is located, use Australian Central Standard Time (UTC+9:30). This is the same time zone as Darwin. Unlike most of South Australia, the APY Lands do not use daylight saving time. This is because they are close to the Northern Territory border and have strong links there.
Who Lives in Indulkana?
Indulkana is an Anangu community. Most people living here identify as Yankunytjatjara, a group from the eastern part of the Lands. While it's often called a Pitjantjatjara community, many residents prefer to be called Yankunytjatjara.
In 2021, 338 people lived in Indulkana. The average age was 26 years old. There were slightly more females than males. On average, about 4.6 people lived in each household.
In 2016, the population was 256.
- About 74.4% of people said they were of Aboriginal background.
- Most people (95.5%) were born in Australia.
- The main languages spoken at home were Pitjantjatjara (41.4%) and Yankunytjatjara (22.1%).
- About 19.7% of people spoke only English at home.
- About 43.6% of homes had internet access.
Many people in Indulkana work in skilled jobs. About 41.4% are professionals, and 29.3% are community and personal service workers.
Population Changes Over Time
- 2001: The population was 225. Most people (84.4%) spoke Pitjantjatjara at home.
- 2006: The population grew to 315. The average age was 22. More people (63.8%) spoke Yankunytjatjara.
- 2011: The population was 310. The average age was 26. About 60.1% spoke Pitjantjatjara and 26.6% spoke Yankunytjatjara.
History of the Community
Not much is written about how Indulkana started as a permanent settlement. However, there is more history about the Iwantja homelands around the community.
Some sources say that Lowitja O'Donoghue, a famous Indigenous advocate and the 1984 Australian of the Year, was born in Indulkana. However, her exact birthplace was never officially recorded. Her official biographer says she was born in De Rose Hill.
Community Facilities
Indulkana has several important facilities for its residents.
- Police Presence: While there is a police station, police officers are not based there full-time. They come from Marla to serve the area. A new police complex is being built at Umuwa, which will help support communities like Indulkana. These officers will work to help families and children.
- Community Store: There is a local store where people can buy supplies and fuel.
- Airstrip: An unsealed airstrip is located near the town.
- Health Services: A doctor lives in the community. This doctor provides healthcare at clinics in both Indulkana and Mimili.
- Aged Care: Indulkana is one of only two communities on the APY Lands that has a special facility for elders.
- Education:
- The University of South Australia runs a program called AnTEP in Indulkana. This program helps people from the APY Lands become teachers. The goal is for them to teach in a way that respects local culture.
- The Indulkana Anangu School was started after 1971. Leslie Mingkilli wrote to the South Australian Government in Pitjantjatjara to ask for a school. His dream came true when the first principal and teachers arrived. The school started with tents and sheds made from local materials. Today, the school has Aboriginal Education Workers and a computer room with internet access.
- Youth Shed: Since 2011, Indulkana has a Youth Shed. It is supervised by staff and offers many activities.
- It has computers with free internet and Wi-Fi.
- There are public toilets and showers for visitors.
- Activities include pool, darts, musical instruments, Xbox, Wii, reading, painting, crafts, and sports.
- Community Oval: Indulkana also has a community oval for sports and other activities.
To visit Indulkana, you need a special permit from the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara. This is because the land is owned by the resident Aboriginal people.
For State elections, a mobile polling booth comes to Indulkana so people can vote.
Iwantja Arts
Iwantja Arts is an art centre named after Iwantja Creek. It started in a community building and became a place for crafts like fabric dyeing, jewellery making, and tjanpi (spinifex grass) weaving.
Artists from Indulkana have a long history of printmaking. Their work can be seen in places like the South Australian Museum and the National Gallery of Australia. Today, they still create prints using different methods.
In the early 1980s, artists Alec Baker and Sadie Singer traveled to Adelaide and Canberra. They asked for money to build a modern art centre with printmaking and painting studios. Now, Iwantja Arts is a non-profit, Aboriginal-owned and -run organisation. It has a gallery where art from the Lands is sold.
Iwantja Arts is one of ten art centres that form the APY Art Centre Collective, which began in 2013.
Some famous artists from Iwantja Arts include:
- Whiskey Tjukangku, one of the original members. His granddaughter, Kaylene Whiskey, is also an artist.
- Betty Muffler, a longtime artist and ngangkari (healer). Her art was shown in the 2020 Tarnanthi exhibition and on the cover of Vogue Australia magazine. She is also a director at the centre.
