About Us – Rirratjingu Clan
Our forefathers were pioneers of Aboriginal Lands Rights and we live their legacy every day.
The Rirratjingu Aboriginal Corporation (RAC), founded in 1984, represents the Rirratjingu people. The clan belongs to the Yolŋu people who are the Indigenous Traditional Owners of Land on the Gove Peninsula.
The RAC’s aim is to ensure the Rirratjingu community is financially self-sufficient. Funds made through mining royalties and business investments support our community programs. The Rirratjingu community and culture are at the heart of everything we do.
RAC operates from offices in Nhulumby and Yirrkala but our programs have a reach across all North East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory.
Indigenous Traditional Owners of the Gove Peninsula
The Rirratjingu clan is one of many clans belonging to the Yolŋu people of Miwatj (which translates to ‘land of the first sunrise’ in Yolŋu tongue, i.e. North East Arnhem Land). The culture is one of the oldest continually living civilisations on Earth, dating back over 55,000 years. Their connection to the Gove Peninsula is deeply sacred
The culture is one of the oldest continually living civilisations on Earth, dating back over 55,000 years.
Arnhem Land is one of the largest Aboriginal-owned reserves in Australia but many clans own common areas of land and waters.
Arnhem Land is one of the largest Aboriginal-owned reserves in Australia but many clans own common areas of land and waters. Yet, the traditional relationship to the land goes beyond owning or living there; in Yolŋu tongue, it can mean that they ‘are’ the land.
There are 13 clan groups within the Gove Peninsula alone, all connected by a complex kinship system. Even though the clans live closely around the Nhulumby and Yirrkala regions, each may have its own governance, philosophies, and languages. The Rirratjingu kinship system governs many aspects of their life including ceremony responsibilities, gender relationships, and marriage rules. A Rirratjingu clan member may speak around 10 languages with Dhungel being the most common.
There are 13 clan groups within the Gove Peninsula alone, all connected by a complex kinship system.
The Rirratjingu people today, work to ensure the Yolŋu culture and their land is protected.
The Rirratjingu people today, work to ensure the Yolŋu culture and their land is protected. They are proud of their forefathers’ (Dadayŋa ‘Roy’ Marika) tireless efforts to recognize Aboriginal land rights in Australia. The community, guided by their forefathers, is always looking to build a stronger, healthier, and secure future in North East Arnhem Land.
Our Mission
Our Mission is to stand firm and to stand together for our people and to remain the rock that is one voice together. With a shared resolve to shape a future for our families and generations to come. So they can live equally in a world of economic certainty and social well-being. Our Mission, inspired by the Rock, remains immovable against the tide, the storms, and the winds of change.
The words of our forefathers remain in our minds:
“Be firm and strong for the land, and the strength of your solidarity will sustain you in your cause. Our country (land and sea) 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.”
(Roy Dadayŋa Marika – 1990 on behalf of the elders).
Our Vision
Our Vision is a future where our people stand together in a world of harmony, prosperity, and opportunity. A world where our traditional cultural values remain our heartbeat, the wisdom from our forefathers our map, and a new generation of our people are standing strong and standing equal.
Our Vision is guided by that of our forefathers. They have inspired us to work diligently:
To hold tightly to our culture and tradition
To be firm and strong for our land and our culture
To protect and care for our people
To stay united and stand tall
Our Rirratjingu Community Values
The following values sit at the heart of our work:
Outstanding governance is the epitome of our approach
The highest ethical standards are central to our work
Open and inclusive management highlight our operations
Yolŋu culture is at the forefront of our minds and guides our work
Yolŋu culture is at the forefront of our minds and guides our work
Rirratjingu Aboriginal Corporation Logo
The Rirratjingu logo is a representation of our founder, Roy Marika, and the strength he brought to the Yolŋu community. He is renowned as The Father of Indigenous Land Rights and a rock to the Rirratjingu people.
The colours represent strength. They are the colours left on the rock after the waves have crashed on it over the years and represent the strength of the rock withstanding the crashing waves; the same way that Rirratjingu have withstood the hardships throughout history and have managed to stay strong.
The rock logo empowers all RAC members and the Rirratjingu clan to embody Roy Marika’s strength and outlook every day
The design emanates from the Mighty Rock, The Summit of Nhulun, which overlooks Nhulumby and the Gove Peninsula coast. Named The Roy Marika Lookout, the rock is a sacred site to the Yolŋu people.
The fish are ‘Moon Fish’ or ‘Milika’ and represent community. They are the people/family that surround the rock, the community, and also the descendants of the rock
THE ROCK:
“Even though you crash upon me and your patterns are left on me, I will stand firm for you as the day draws to an end…”
1 paddle, 1 boat, 1 harpoon, 1 people!
Hunters for one turtle to benefit all our people.
Rirratjingu Aboriginal Corporation History
RAC was officially founded. However, its origins date back decades before.
Arnhem Land was proclaimed an Aboriginal reserve in 1931
The Government granted a lease for Bauxite mining on the Gove Peninsula in 1963, without consulting the Aboriginal community. Rirratjingu elders were deeply concerned about the impact this would have on their land and their sacred sites.
Although The Woodward Commission failed, it became the template for the Aboriginal Land Rights movement that was to begin a decade later. The official act came into force in 1976 and The Northern Land Council started distributing mining royalties among the traditional owners.
Roy Marika took the issue to Parliament again in 1973. This became known at The Woodward Commission, which recommended land rights in the Territory. The Commission called for compensation for loss of livelihood, protection of sacred sites, and an ongoing parliamentary committee to monitor the mining project.
The RAC was established by Roy Marika in 1984 to administer mining royalties to the Rirratjingu clan and build a pathway to sustainable business and economic independence. Today, RAC’s one purpose is to represent the Rirratjingu people. All funds from mining and business investments go into delivering social and cultural benefits to advance the community.
Rirratjingu Aboriginal Corporation (RAC) Services
While the RAC’s origins lie with mining, we have always been mindful of the fact that benefits from the mine are finite. We understand that participation in the economy through business and employment is vital for a prosperous future.
Today, the RAC manages businesses that have a combined turnover of tens of millions of dollars. The funds benefit both the Rirratjingu people and the wider Northern Territory economy and society.
All of our profit is invested back into the community through cultural programs. Every business decision has only one purpose; to support the Yolŋu culture and our members every day.
Business Services
Our People, Our Community, and Our Culture
The Rirratjingu clan belong to the Yolŋu people of Miwatj
Rirratjingu Music Program
Football Program
Community Safety for All
