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Roy Dadaynga Marika M.B.E.
by Roy Dadaynga Marika M.B.E.
Dhimurru's vision is guided by the wisdom of our elders who founded Dhimurru. They have inspired us in our work. They exhorted us to look after the land for those who will follow, to protect and maintain it. In 1990 on behalf of the elders Roy Dadaynga Marika said, 'Be firm and strong for the land, and the strength of your solidarity will sustain you in your cause. The land will exist forever. It must be protected so that it will remain the same, so that it can be seen in the same way that the elders saw it in the past. Our vision and hope is that Yolngu will continue to use the land for all the generations to come.'
The elders said, 'We the old people hope that Dhuwa and Yirritja land will continue to be looked after through the connection of yothu yindi. All the land is Yirritja and Dhuwa. Our songs, our law, our sacred art, our stories are embedded in the land, which is the foundation of our knowledge. That's how we see the land; that is what our Land Rights Act says.'
'The decision-makers are the landowners, the clans that are connected through Yothu Yindi and Mari-Gutharra kinship. They have placed certain areas in the hands of the Dhimurru Committee, which authorises the Dhimurru Rangers to manage and preserve, maintain and protect the areas designated for recreation use.'
'The landowners put the recreation areas in Dhimurru's hands to manage. They envisage one committee, one voice, and one body under one umbrella, Dhimurru Land Management. Only Yolngu will make decisions for this land, not government officials or any other person who is not a landowner. We envisage working together with the Parks and Wildlife Commission; we need their help in making our vision a reality. But the only people who make decisions about the land are those who own the law, the people who own the creation stories, the people whose lives are governed by Yolngu law and belief.'
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Last Updated 24 October 2008
Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation PO Box 1551 Nhulunbuy NT Australia 0881
Phone: 08 8987 3992 Fax: 08 8987 3224 Email: nhamirri@SPAMBUNGLERdhimurru.com.au (To Email remove SPAMBUNGLER)
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