MANDUBARRA ARE BUILDING CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE AND CAPACITY

Manduburra Junior Rangers are learning Traditional and contemporary knowledge, building alliances and leading collaborative Sea Country management

^{Story created in consultation with Mandubarra Traditional Owners}

For millennia Traditional Owners across Australia have connected with each other through trade and for the sharing of resources and information. Today that connection and exchange continues, sometimes informally and other times in more contemporary ways. On Mandubarra Country, in the Kurrimine/Cowley Beach area just south of Innisfail, Mandabarra Aboriginal Land and Sea Inc (MALSI) are facilitating connections with neighbouring Traditional Owner groups, research institutions and all tiers of government, and making sure that their young people are included.

*Community events provide platforms for Mandubarra Traditional Owners to share their knowledge and stories. Image credit: Mandubarra Aboriginal Land and Sea Inc.*

Taking a planned and considered approach, since 2019 MALSI, their Elders and the Mandubarra community have been ensuring that their Junior Rangers have the foundations to understand Country and to forge meaningful connections with partners. This approach of working with partners and intertwining Traditional Knowledge with contemporary tools, helps embed collaborative thinking in the minds and actions of Junior Rangers—the future managers of Country.

Elder Noreen Wood at the Junior Ranger cultural day. Image credit: Mandubarra Aboriginal Land and Sea Inc.

Junior Ranger camps over several years have seen a suite of young Mandubarra people master the use of underwater drones, gain knowledge about marine animal strandings, understand turtle nesting and hatching behaviours and learn how to monitor aspects of their Sea Country. Trips in marine vessels and glass bottomed boats with MALSI rangers and partners expose Junior Rangers to the work create an environment of curiosity and wonder about caring for Country.

*Mandubarra Junior Rangers on the beach during the Junior Rangers Cultural Day.*
*Image credit: Mandubarra Aboriginal Land and Sea Inc.*

In tandem, through MALSI, Mandubarra Elders and the community are laying the cultural foundations for Junior Rangers through their immersion in traditional practices such as art, dance, campfires and weaving to tell stories and embed culture. Pride in culture and Country and the opportunity to share, is being fostered by including Junior Rangers in NAIDOC stalls, marches and celebrations—ensuring that young Mandubarra people understand the uniqueness of culture and the importance of community connection.

Marlie Drahm and Joseph Darhm — Marlie Drahm and Joseph Drahm at the Junior Ranger cultural day.
Image credit: Mandubarra Aboriginal Land and Sea Inc

Mandubarra people and MALSI have a long-term vision for Traditional Owner-led collaborative management and have been partnering with Sea Country neighbours to develop seagrass nurseries, investigate the potential of blue carbon credits and implement a joined-up Sea Country alliance across neighbouring TUMRAs.

Programs such as GBRF’s Blue Carbon and Helping Country grants, have enabled MALSI rangers to develop a more comprehensive picture about dugongs, seagrass and coral distribution, and the use of underwater drones and Artificial Intelligence to monitor Country. This gathering of data which is being echoed across neighbouring Traditional Owner groups, and the potential to share it, is creating a powerful patchwork of detailed Traditional Owner-collected datasets across a potentially large area of the GBR. A patchwork that the skilled, enthusiastic, collaborative Junior Rangers might just complete.

The Mandubarra Junior Ranger Project is creating a transformative path for young Aboriginal people, empowering the next generation to embrace their culture and traditions, while building their confidence to connect with and understand Country in a meaningful way.

Learn more about Mandubarra Aboriginal Land and Sea Inc.