Wajarri facts for kids

The Wajarri people are an Aboriginal Australian group. They have lived for a very long time on their traditional lands in the Mid West region of Western Australia. You might also see their name spelled as Wadjari, Wadjarri, or Watjarri.

A special place called Boolardy Station is on Wajarri land. Next to it is a small community called Pia Wajarri. This area is home to the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO). Because the MRO is on Wajarri country, there have been talks for many years about an Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA). This agreement helps make sure the Wajarri people's rights and culture are respected.

Wajarri Country and Lands

The Wajarri people's traditional lands are in the Mid West region, also known as the Murchison. These lands cover a huge area, about 90,650 square kilometers (35,000 square miles).

Their northern borders reach the hills above the Lyons River headwaters. This includes places like Mount Isabella and the Teano and Waldburg ranges. The upper Gascoyne River is also part of their traditional country.

To the west, their land is around Byro and Dalgety Downs. It also goes west of the Three Rivers. Their lands include Erivilla and Milgun. To the south, Wajarri lands extend to Cheangwa and the Roderick and upper Sanford rivers.

What is an Indigenous Land Use Agreement?

The Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO) is located on Boolardy Station. This station is on the traditional lands of the Wajarri people. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) office have been working with the Wajarri people. This cooperation helps the radio telescope projects at the MRO move forward.

It is very important to respect the Wajarri people's culture and needs. The agreement also aims to bring benefits to them. This is especially true for the small and distant Pia Wajarri community, which is right next to Boolardy Station. For several years, talks happened before the Wajarri people and the CSIRO signed an ILUA. The federal Department of Industry, Innovation and Science helped guide these discussions.

About 15 traditional owners from different Wajarri groups are part of these talks. There are challenges in making sure the area's cultural importance is respected. They also need to build new structures for the international Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project. The goal is to do this with as little change to the landscape as possible. Surveys have been done to find important heritage sites. The work and talks were a bit slowed down by the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.

Radio Quiet Zone

The Wajarri people can still move freely across their land. However, they must respect the "radio silence" in the area. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) made the MRO a protected radio quiet zone in April 2005. In July 2011, an even stronger radio-quiet zone was put in place.

As of December 2020, the outer "coordination" zone reaches out 260 kilometers (160 miles). Inside this radio quiet zone, there are rules about all radio communication equipment. This includes television transmitters, mobile phones, CB radios, and other devices. These rules are in place so that nothing interferes with the sensitive radio telescopes.

Wajarri Language

The Wajarri language is one of the Kartu languages.

See also

• Yamatji - sometimes used to mean a member of the Wajarri people, but also has wider usage