- Indulkana, South Australia
Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Indulkana (Iwantja Community)
state = sa
caption =
lga =Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara
postcode = 5710
est =
pop = 250 (PY Media)
elevation= 396
maxtemp = 37.1
mintemp = 5.0
rainfall = 222.6
stategov = Giles
fedgov = Grey
dist1 = 1200
dir1 = northwest
location1=Adelaide Indulkana (also known as Iwantja Community) is an Aboriginal community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands inSouth Australia , comprising one of the six main communities on "The Lands" (the others being Ernabella/ Pukatja, Amata, Fregon/ Kaltjiti, Mimili and Pipalyatjara).Geography
Indulkana (coord|26.966667|S|133.325|E|region:AU-SA_type:city(200)) is situated just 10 kilometres west of the
Stuart Highway and approximately 360 kilometres south ofAlice Springs . By road it is 1,200 kilometres north-west ofAdelaide .Climate
Based upon the climate records of the nearest weather station at
Marla Police Station, Indulkana experiences summer maximum temperatures of an average of 37.1 degrees celsius in January and a winter maximum average temperature of 19.7 degrees celsius in June. Overnight lows range from a mean minimum temperature of 21.8 degrees in January to 5.0 degrees in June.Annual rainfall averages 222.6 millimetres. [Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology data [http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_016085.shtml] ]
Population
Indulkana's population is approximately 200-250 people [PY Media, waru.org.au website: [http://waru.org/communities/indulkana/] ] . PY Media gives this figure despite the
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) finding that in 1991 the population of Indulkana was 317 and in 1996 that figure rose to 330 [ABS [Indigenous Australians] report (Google cached HTML version) [http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:Jcr3UIoeRxgJ:www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/subscriber.nsf/log%3Fopenagent%2620344_1996.pdf%262034.4%26Publication%26CA25687100069892CA256889001F11DA%260%261996%2628.08.1998%26Latest+indulkana+site:.abs.gov.au&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=au] ] .PY Media states on its website:
Indulkana is an
Anangu community, often referred to as the Iwantja Community, on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands in the northwest ofSouth Australia . Although Indulkana is regarded as aPitjantjatjara community, the majority of people at Indulkana refer to themselves asYankunytjatjara , which is a group having its origins in the eastern section of the LandsABS research indicated in 2003 that the 2001 census data showed that Indulkana had
South Australia 's highest proportions of Aboriginal residents (90%). Unlike other APY communities, Indulkana did not have one of the State's highest proportion ofAustralian -born residents, nor a high proportion of single parent families.Like other APY communities, Indulkana did have one of the lowest percentages of home personal computer use (South Australia's lowest, 5%).
Indulkana was a standout from other APY communities in that it ranked in other categories that its sister communities did not. For instance, Indulkana had the highest proportion of 0-14 year olds in the State (35.0%), the State's third highest proportion of Professionals or Associate Professionals in the State (41.8%, following wealthy
Adelaide Hills localities of Summertown and Bridgewater). This is perhaps explained by the town being situated close to theStuart Highway and hence, perhaps, serving as a gateway to the APY Lands and - thus - an attractive place for non- Aboriginal professionals to be based.Indulkana ranked as the clear highest category of proportion of residents employed in the retail trade industry (59.6%) compared with the next closest, Yorketown (25.1%) and Cleve (24.8%). [ABS, Census of Population and Housing: Selected Characteristics for Urban Centres and Localities, South Australia, 2001, [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/productsbytopic/563CE29E965278DDCA256CF4007EA8D1?OpenDocument] ] .
History
Little is recorded of the history of Indulkana's foundation as a fixed settlement for habitation. There is likely more history of the Iwantja homelands surrounding the settlement.
Indulkana was the birthplace of 1984
Australian of the Year and former chairperson of the now-defunct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC), Lowitja or "Lois" O'Donoghue AC CBE, who was born in the area. The State Library of South Australia records:In August 1932, Lois O'Donoghue was a bright-eyed brown-skinned infant newly born into the
Yankunytjatjara tribe in the remote North-West Reserve ofSouth Australia . Her mother was a full blood of the tribe, and her father the owner of apastoral station which later passed into the hands of the McLachlan family. This was not a casual relationship and Lois is the youngest of five children born to the same parents.In 1934, members of the frankly
paternalistic United Aborigines' Mission visited herYankunytjatjara tribe at Indulkana, 200 miles north ofCoober Pedy . They persuaded her mother it would be best for the child to be brought up at the Mission's Home for Children atQuorn . Without in any way approving such a policy, Lois acknowledges that she had a happy childhood there, and later at the Colebrook home atEden Hills . [State Library of South Australia, "Women and Politics" series, 2001; [http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/women_and_politics/abor1.htm] ]The Iwantja community now owns the horse and
cattle station , "Granite Downs", at whichLowitja O'Donoghue was born.Interestingly, in 1997 (just a year after
Lowitja O'Donoghue ceased to be ATSIC chairperson), ATSIC cut funding for 6 major community initiatives for Indulkana due to allegations of rorting [Alice Springs News, 2 April 1997 edition [http://www.alicespringsnews.com.au/0409.html] ] .In the late 1990s, the Indulkana community invited the Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Council (SA) Inc. to run a program to address the problem of
petrol sniffing in their community [State Library of South Australia, "ADAC Final Report - reducing Petrol Sniffing in an Aboriginal community"; [https://www.library.health.sa.gov.au/Portals/0/reducing-petrol-sniffing-in-an-aboriginal-community.pdf] ] .Facilities
Indulkana has a local community store with a fuel supply outlet.
There is an unsealed airstrip located close to the town.
"Iwantja Arts" provides an art centre operating with local artists. It has a gallery for sale of art work from across the Lands. [Iwantja Arts Website: [http://www.iwantjaarts.com.au/] ]
A doctor visits on a fortnightly basis and dental care (emergency) is available at Pukatja / Ernabella.
Indulkana is the only place on the APY Lands that provides an aged care facility for elders.
The
University of South Australia runs an AnTEP program out of Indulkana, providing tertiary education in teaching with a view to people from the APY Lands teaching in culturally sensitive way on the Lands.The Indulkana Anangu School was established after 1971, recounted on the School's website as follows:
Leslie Mingkilli wrote a letter to the
South Australian Government on behalf of Indulkana Community asking for funding and help to establish a school. He wrote to the Government in thePitjantjatjara language, insisting that a school be started at Indulkana. Leslie was educated at Ernabella (Pukatja) community where he learnt to read and write English andPitjantjatjara . This dream finally came true when Leslie went to Adelaide and returned with David Emery, the first Principal and three teachers. The school began with tents and sheds made of timber and brush from the surrounding bush.The school is supported by Aboriginal Education Workers and a computer facility with 24-networked computers with Internet access.
Indulkana has a community church (run by the
Uniting Church in Australia [Uniting Church in Australia list of congregations [http://ns.uca.org.au/congregations/congregations.html] ] .Indulkana does not have a permanent police presence, though it has a police station.
South Australian police are based atMarla and run patrols in the area. In the absence of police, the community is served by 2 community constables [SA Police Association [http://journal.pasa.asn.au/apps/uploadedFiles/news/293/APY_lands.pdf] ] . The Indulkana police station is considered by the Police Association ofSouth Australia to be a "disgrace", "dirty, ill-equipped sheds". ["Police Stations like ill-equipped sheds", Adelaide Advertiser, 7 July 2007 [http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,22030204-2682,00.html] ] .Indulkana has a community oval.
A permit from the
Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara is required to access Indulkana, as the land is ownedfreehold by the resident Aboriginal people.For State elections (ie to elect the
Parliament of South Australia ), a mobile polling booth is taken to Indulkana.Footnotes
Further external links
*cite web
last =
first =
year = 2007
url = http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21961430-601,00.html
title = As leaders spar, Red Centre ready to save children
format = HTML
work =The Australian
accessdate = 2007-07-05
*cite web
last =
first =
year = 2007
url = http://waru.org.au/communities/indulkana
title = PY Media page: Waru.org.au
format = HTML
work =
accessdate = 2007-07-10
*cite web
last =
first =
year = 2007
url = http://www.abc.net.au/canberra/stories/s1965931.htm
title = Miri Kutjara Tjungu (Skin to skin) - APY Arts Showcase in Canberra
format = HTML
work = Louise Maher, 666AM ABC Radio Canberra
accessdate = 2007-07-10
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