Remote Wisdom

Innovation for remote Australia

and its relevance to policy Tuesday, 18 November 2014

Outline

1. Introduction to Ninti One Limited

2. New Managing Director

3. What is remote Australia and what does it

mean for mainstream Australia?

4. Ninti One’s innovative work

• Cooperative Research Centre for Remote

Economic Participation (CRC-REP)

• Other projects

5. The Future

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Ninti One also manages

the CRC for Remote

Economic Participation

and external

consultancy projects.

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1. Introducing Ninti One

Ninti One is a not-for-profit company that builds

opportunities for people in remote Australia through

research, innovation and community development.

2. What is remote Australia and what does it mean for

mainstream Australia?

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3. Ninti One’s work

4. Aboriginal Community Researchers

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This unique combination of Aboriginal

Community Researchers, matched with the

expertise of Ninti One Limited in delivering

community engagement projects across

remote Australia, represents a new model

for policy advice and future service

delivery.

5. The future for Ninti One

• The CRC program is under review

• Indigenous Advancement Strategy

• Other funding sources

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Aboriginal Community Researchers’

involvement in the CRC-REP Interplay project

Aboriginal Community Researcher Program

A network of over 120 Aboriginal Community Researchers employeed across 60

communities over the last three years.

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Participatory Action Research

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CHANGE

Adapted from: jareddonovan.com/blog/on/research/

Interplay Project

Investigating the interrelationships between health, wellbeing,

education and employment in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander settlements

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Research questions:

1. What are the relationships between health and wellbeing

outcomes and education and employment for individuals and

communities living in remote Australia?

2. How effective are targeted interventions in this field?

3. How can policy and practice be better informed by this

knowledge to maximise desired health and wellbeing

outcomes?

Interplay project

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The Interplay is how everything connects together

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Interplay project

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For further information, please contact:

Tammy Abbott

Email – tammy.abbott@nintione.com.au

Phone – (08) 7905-5522

www.crc-rep.com/interplay-between-health-

wellbeing-education-and-employment

Questions?

Plant Business

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Why Bush Tomato?: • an emerging business opportunity with existing market for

processed products and potential for expansion

• grows in the arid zone so presents a commercial prospect in remote Australia

• an existing foundation of previous R&D

• a good model for other crop development opportunities

Overview: Main themes:

• selection of improved Bush Tomato varieties as a model for bush food crop development

• legal and related strategies for safeguarding the interests of traditional custodians when culture-based products are commercialised

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Plant Business project:

Sub-project areas:

• Community engagement and field sample collection

• Plant Science – genetics and phytochemistry

• Plant Propagation – conventional and tissue culture

• Field Trial – assessment of variation and selection

• Seed-banks – risk of the loss of values in plants

• Safeguarding the interests of traditional custodians – law PhD

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Plant Business project:

Sub-project areas:

• Community engagement and field collection sub-project

– collection of plant materials, GPS locations and stories

Partner: RemoteBiz Limited, Business Development Unit

Status: completed for 65 sites

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Plant Business project:

Sub-project areas:

• Plant Science sub-project – genetics and phytochemistry

– readily distinguish S. centrale from other species

– distinguish discrete varieties

– negligible glycoalkaloids in mature fruit

Partner: Southern Cross University

Status: write-up

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Plant Business project:

Sub-project areas:

• Plant Propagation and Field Trial

– change in initial planned strategy

– seed propagation approach (variability)

– tissue culture (clonal)

– field trail established (late March 2014)

Partners: NT Government, Alice Springs Desert Park and Arid Zone Research Institute

Ormandy Plants Pty Ltd, CleanGROW

Status: planted and awaiting

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Plant Business project:

Sub-project areas:

• Seed-banks – risk of the loss of values in plants

– international colloquium, Canberra, June 2014 at the Humanities Research Centre, Australian National University

Partner: University of New England

Status: write-up

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Plant Business project:

Sub-project areas:

• Safeguarding the interests of traditional custodians

Kylie Lingard PhD project –

“Practical legal and institutional strategies to support remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s knowledge interests in the commercialisation of native plants”

Practical strategies to support the interests of remote Aboriginal

peoples in their bush food knowledge

Partner: University of New England

Status: advanced

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Project participant sites

for further information:

Slade Lee slade.lee@nintione.com.au 0419 474 251

ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT INSLANDER CULTURAL ENTERPRISE

The Process of Mapping Spinifex Country.

Spinifex Country, GVD in WA

Spinifex Country Detail

Spinifex Country is in the Great Victoria Desert, WA

• Native Title was determined by Federal Court in bush sitting at

Kulgarbin in November 2000

• 55,000 hectares of pristine land under Native Title

• Nganyatjara Lands to the north

• Pilki country to the West; soon to be determined NT

• Approximately 260 people identify as Spinifex

• Southern Pillar of Western Desert Cultural block

• Tjuntjuntjara is the major Spinifex community of 180 people and

southern pillar of Western Desert culture

• Ilkurlka in the middle of claim area on the Serpentine Lakes Road.

• Story of Spinifex People goes through Maralinga, Cundeelee mission,

Coonana, Yakadunia and Tjuntjuntjara. Insight history of State

policies but for another occasion.

Mapping Spinifex Country

• Want to look forward by looking back.

• Have asked the question, ‘what is the Capital of a remote

traditionally oriented community?’

• Have answered this question ‘Capital is based around Traditional

Owners with a vast store of knowledge over a substantial land

area’

• Assuming it is Traditional knowledge that makes the land of such

value. Thus project is to ‘map’ this knowledge.

Think of Capital as Treasure

The primary components of Spinifex treasure seen as follows:

• Sites of significance

• Stories and pathways

• Knowledge and practices

• History and the people’s story

And of course the National Living Treasures

Mid Year Budget or Treasure Audit

• Real Exploration: On Ground Bush Expeditions

• Gems from Previous Projects

• Historical Sources

On Ground Expeditions

Vehicles, flat tyres, food, fire….chaos

Gems from Previous Projects

Kulyuru: C.190

Past Projects

• Heritage projects

• Arts Project

• Photographic and video projects

• Documentation works of the above includes 1000 paintings

Value waiting to be organised

Long Term Deposits: Value in History and Historical

Sources

• Impact times came before contact time in Spinifex Country.

• Border incursions of many sorts were undertaken. Sources can

be found on these.

History meets Kulbitjara 1932

Agents of History visit Tuan Tjarlu

The unexplained!

Surveillance of Historical Institutions

• 1. WA State Library

• 2. WA State Records

• 3. SA Museum

• Searches under Cundeelee Mission, Ooldea, Karonie, Vic Nature

Reserve etc.

Land based expeditions most important treasure hunts of all.

Especially once the camel project gave us the opportunity to

use helicopter time for mapping.

Logistics were challenging but also fun

Grabbing resources, or all hands on deck. Can we

mention the P word…….

Following old memories and tracks

Amazing feeling above but still in the landscape

Fast-tracking the search for sites

In country again

Site visits, the most effective moments for cultural

transmission

Data Gathering

Seizing the Chance to Gather Details

• GPS information taken at every site

• Images if allowed; site specific, aerial, landscape etc.

• Country Information

• Tjukurrpa Information. Details, directions and orientations.

• Kinship details

• Historical information; e.g. Nyuntirlka blaze, sorry business

Development of Treasure Data Base

• Crucial to be able to handle all the information gathered from

various sources.

• Crucial for future ‘live management’ of Spinifex Country.

• Data Base will have:

• GIS capacity for various layered use

• Images located by GPS metadata

• Kinship and birth details (People)

• Tjukurrpa and associated details (Sites)

• Links between people, land, story, information and images

Hidden Gems

Treasure Maps & Treasure Chests

A wise person said we exist to connect our Ancestors to

our Descendants.

Big Place!

Closing remarks

• With treasure in the bank lots of things are possible. Wealth

creates wealth.

• Community making efforts to secure treasure and make it actively

available whilst looking for innovative ways to invest

• I agree Australia has a Budget Deficit Disaster

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For further information, please contact:

Peter Twigg

Email – peter.twigg@nintione.com.au

Phone – 08 9037 1147

Questions?

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