Parnngurr rangers assisted Martumilli to collect grass for a weaving exhibition. They collected four large bags of grasses, plus a few lunki (witchetty grubs) from the white gums while the younger Martu learnt about grasses for weaving and the plants that can be make into bush sandals. 

The Kunawarritji Kinyu rangers have been very active on the Canning Stock Route over the past few months. A highlight was a Pujiman Camp held jointly with the Kiwirrkurra rangers. This featured digging for goannas, cat-hunting, carving and building a spinifex shelter. 

More than 50 Martu of all ages — including ranger teams, families, school children and artists — came together for KJ’s first ever Language Camp! 

The rangers are forming firm friendships with the crew members from the Department of Biodiversity and Conservation fire crews of the Swan Coastal District. 

KJ’s applied linguist, Duke (Garry Earl-Spurr), recently visited the University of Western Australia (UWA) to give a seminar about KJ’s language program. He spoke to the audience about where Martu are from, and about how Martu are still looking after the languages they belong to the “right-way”.

VIC Police received the national request to reduce Aboriginal deaths in custody and by default, assumed reducing Aboriginal incarceration was a parallel objective. Their first steps? They invited one of KJ’s team over to learn more about the work between the MLP and WA police and the success of this program.

The Women & Families Program is in full swing and the team are using the Abecedarian Approach to early childhood education! They also received a visit from rangers and older school kids and together looked for minyarra: a small sweet bush onion.

Martu have been carving it forward, with help from the Dream it Forward grant! The grant has contributed to the development of a new beginning for Martu elders to recommence carving — a practice that had been steadily eroded over the past 10 years, largely due to a lack of accessibility to carving tools.

Rangers have been involved in successful helicopter mapping activities to relocate waterholes out of Punmu and Kunawarritji. The work was combined with waru (fire) work to look after the country.

Martu rangers and staff from Punmu and Kunawaritji schools came together recently (alongside many rangers and elders in Parnngurr) to learn and record elders’ language and stories.