Ngurrara facts for kids
The Ngurrara and Ngururrpa are groups of Aboriginal Australian people. They live in the Great Sandy Desert in Western Australia. This area is in the central Pilbara and southern Kimberley regions. These groups have special organisations called Aboriginal corporations. These groups help them look after their native title rights.
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What Their Names Mean
The name Ngurrara means "home". The name Ngururrpa means "our country in the middle".
Their Land and People
The word Ngurrara also refers to their traditional land. This land is properly called Mawurritjiyi. This is the word for the Tanami Desert.
The Ngurrara people include several language groups:
- Walmajarri
- Wangkatjunga (also known as Martu Wangka)
- Mangala
- Juwaliny (which is a dialect of Walmajarri)
The Ngururrpa people also include different language groups. These are:
Native Title Rights
Native title is a special legal right. It recognises that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have traditional rights to their land and waters. These rights come from their traditional laws and customs.
Ngurrara Native Title Claims
In 2007, the Ngurrara people won an important case called Kogolo v Western Australia. This case recognised their native title rights over a huge area of land. This area is about 76,000 square kilometres (29,000 square miles).
To show their connection to the land, the Ngurrara people created a very large painting of their country. This painting showed important places and stories from their history. The Yanunijarra Aboriginal Corporation now looks after this land for the Ngurrara people.
There are other native title claims under the Ngurrara name. Some of these claims overlap with other groups, like the Martu people.
Another important case was the Ngurra Kayanta claim. This claim was decided in 2016 and 2017. It gave native title rights over an area of about 19,574 square kilometres (7,558 square miles). This land is in the Great Sandy Desert, north of Karratha. The Ngurra Kayanta (Aboriginal Corporation) is the group that looks after this land.
Ngururrpa Native Title Claims
Ngururrpa is the name for a native title claim in the Great Sandy Desert. This area is closer to the border with the Northern Territory.
In 2007, the Federal Court of Australia recognised the Ngururrpa people's native title rights. This was in a case called Payi Payi on behalf of the Ngururrpa People v The State of Western Australia. They gained exclusive native title rights over an area of more than 29,600 square kilometres (11,400 square miles).
The Parna Ngururrpa (Aboriginal Corporation) is the group that acts as the trustee for this land. They manage the land on behalf of the Ngururrpa people.
Indigenous Protected Areas
An Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) is land or sea managed by Indigenous people. They manage it to protect its natural and cultural values.
The Ngururrpa Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) was created in October 2020. It covers an area of 29,600 square kilometres (11,400 square miles). This IPA is in the far eastern part of the Pilbara, within the Great Sandy Desert. The Ngururrpa IPA includes all the land that was recognised in the 2007 Ngururrpa Native Title Determination.
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