Funding the revolution
When most people think of mining and agriculture, they think big business and, often, destructive business, but it doesn’t have to be that way. At SESNA 2021, we heard from two Indigenous-led organisations that are turning those industries on their heads to ensure that local communities are listened to and benefited by these traditionally extractive processes. Both of these organisations were supported by the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation as they sought to bring real social impact into these industries.
Gulkula Mining Company was founded in 2011 by the Yolngu Traditional Owners of North-East Arnhem Land and they started their first low-impact, small-scale bauxite mining operation in late 2017.
Like many social enterprises, Gulkula is multi-layered, providing benefits at many different levels. Not only are they giving Indigenous communities more control over physically mining for resources, they also provide training, offering pathways to certification (in areas such as operating machinery, traffic management, first aid, etc), on-the-job training in various departments (mine maintenance, nursery activities, environmental management and WHS programs) as well as driver training and work experience activities. All of these things yield tangible results.
“Going out in the field and working with the experts and learning from them – there are a lot of hands-on opportunities that happen here with training,” Daryl Lacey explained. “We try to give people opportunities they couldn’t get outside of Gulkula. We try to give [the Yolngu people] an understanding that just because you have low literacy or numeracy doesn’t mean that you can’t get a job in the mine. We’re giving them opportunities to do what’s best for them and their families.”
Clearing the land is a necessary part of mining, but it doesn’t always need to spell destruction. Gulkula’s environmental strategies align with Yolngu values, with a no burning policy and progressive rehabilitation just two aspects of their approach to a traditionally extractive industry.
Meanwhile, in the agriculture industry, Mayi Harvests, founded by Pat Torres, are revolutionising what it means to harvest a high value bush food – the Kakadu Plum – while protecting traditional knowledge, supporting families and offering many different opportunities.
Mayi Harvests supports up to 50 harvesters from 20 different family groups, connected to 5-6 different language groups. Their work provides ethical harvesting practices and mentors smaller producers by teaching about quality assurance, food safety and handling, licenses and respect for land and environments through TEK practices.
Collaboration is a huge part of the story, with Mayi Harvests a founding member of the Northern Australia Aboriginal Kakadu Plum Alliance (NAAKPA). Collaboration with Indigenous-led corporations in the industry has led to increased access to infrastructure funding, administrative support, knowledge and capacity within the supply chain and more.
While both Gulkula and Mayi Harvests are revolutionising their respective industries, there are two key things they agree are essential for this revolution: education and empowerment of Indigenous communities.
Empowerment begins with education
Pat has witnessed the ancient Kakadu Plum become desired all over the world as a ‘superfood’ and with this boost in interest, it’s become clear how valuable information about the fruit really is.
“It’s difficult to protect Indigenous knowledge,” Pat says. “Whenever a mainstream company finds out about an amazing fruit, they want to pick your brains for all the information about it – so it’s a big challenge trying to create only minimal information for them while keeping your sacred rituals, sacred signs, and sacred names to yourself.”
It can be difficult to walk the line between wanting to educate the world about the Kakadu Plum and understanding that Indigenous communities don’t owe anyone the whole sacred story.
“If you’re going to work with a food company who wants to know your stories, be really careful what information you give them,” Pat warns. “What we’ve found in the industry is that sometimes people take your story and don’t acknowledge you. So, it’s always good to have a contract in place which sets out what they’re allowed to do.”
While Mayi Harvests continues to work with smaller harvesters to ensure they know their rights and are being respected accordingly, they are also educating the world scientifically too.
Through scientific research and rigorous testing, it has now become clear that each region’s Kakadu Plum has its own distinct DNA. Kakadu Plum ‘fingerprints’ are being developed so that it’s easier to trace where the fruit has come from, protecting Aboriginal resources and allowing those in the industry to detect bio-theft more accurately, particularly if it is being grown overseas without Traditional Owner permission. With more knowledge around these ‘fingerprints’ comes more power handed back to Indigenous communities.
“We need to educate the community, but we first need to educate our people on how to protect their species so that more knowledge about our plants and medicine and food doesn’t get taken away by those people who have more money than us and can invest in it much more regularly than what we can.”
For the Gulkula Mining Company, there is power in understanding more about land rights and what exactly is happening when the big companies come to town, looking to mine for valuable resources.
“Many people don’t know this, but the land you own is actually just the surface,” Daryl says. “It’s the underneath that you don’t actually own. That boggles my mind, let alone when I told my Uncle and he said ‘How does this happen? We’ve been here thousands of years, this is my land, I know it from the sky down to the core.’ But that’s not the case legally – so knowledge is power.”
And that’s exactly what Gulkula is interested in: empowering Indigenous communities with that legal knowledge as well as practical skills so that they have the knowledge they need to make their own decisions, rather than being overwhelmed by mining companies asking them to sign paperwork that they don’t always understand.
“We’re giving them the tools and the knowledge to say back to the mining company ‘No, we’re not happy with this. What are you doing here? How did you get permission to come here? What’s going on?”
Simply being armed with more knowledge gives Indigenous communities the power to stand up and speak out against destructive and disrespectful practices.
What is clear from Gulkula and Mayi Harvests respective stories is that there is so much opportunity in the agricultural and mining industries – and beyond – to not only include Indigenous voices but have those voices driving the industries and to uphold Indigenous values, ensuring the longevity of the environment, all while pouring benefits back into their communities.
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