Ramingining, Northern Territory
Encyclopedia
Ramingining is an Indigenous community in the Northern Territory
, Australia
, 560 km east of Darwin. It is on the edge of the Arafura Swamp
in Arnhem Land
. The population is approximately 800 people, though this fluctuates and there is a significant housing shortage.
The community was established in the early 1970s, and became recognised as Aboriginal land with the passage of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act of 1976. A written permit is required to visit Ramingining. The village has an airstrip at Ramingining Airport
, a general store, a school, a police station opened in January 2008, and a health clinic with four nurses and a fly in doctor every Tuesday/Wednesday from Nhulunbuy
.
Djambarrpuyngu is the main language in Ramingining, though Gupapuyngu and Ganalbingu are also spoken. The village, along with near-by Murwangi, was also the source for many of the actors in the 2006 cinematic production Ten Canoes
.
Alcohol is banned in Ramingining. It cannot be consumed by residents or visitors. Kava
used to be legally available, but was banned in the entire Northern Territory in August 2007 as a part of the federal government's intervention on indigenous affairs
.
Ramingining school is paired with a sister school in Cockatoo, Victoria
, Cockatoo Primary School. Exchange visits are organised where groups of Year 5 pupils and accompanying teachers visit Ramingining for a week. A few weeks or months later, Ramingining students from Year 5 and 6 visit Cockatoo Primary School.
A newer program that started in 2009 saw year nine boys from St Kevins College in Victoria visit Ramingining. The two schools are now fully immersed in an exchange program which will benefit both year 9 boys going into Ramingining and year 7-9 students from Ramingining going to Melbourne.
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, 560 km east of Darwin. It is on the edge of the Arafura Swamp
Arafura Swamp
The Arafura Swamp is a large inland freshwater wetland in Arnhem Land, in the Top End of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is a near pristine floodplain with an area of 700 km2 that may expand to 1300 km2 by the end of the wet season, making it the largest wooded swamp in the Northern...
in Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land
The Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National...
. The population is approximately 800 people, though this fluctuates and there is a significant housing shortage.
The community was established in the early 1970s, and became recognised as Aboriginal land with the passage of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act of 1976. A written permit is required to visit Ramingining. The village has an airstrip at Ramingining Airport
Ramingining Airport
Ramingining Airport is an airport in Ramingining, Northern Territory, Australia. The airport received $32,965 in funds for security upgrades in 2005.-Airlines and destinations:-External links:*...
, a general store, a school, a police station opened in January 2008, and a health clinic with four nurses and a fly in doctor every Tuesday/Wednesday from Nhulunbuy
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory
Nhulunbuy is the name of the township created on the Gove Peninsula in the Northern Territory of Australia when a bauxite mine and deep water port were established nearby in the late 1960s...
.
Djambarrpuyngu is the main language in Ramingining, though Gupapuyngu and Ganalbingu are also spoken. The village, along with near-by Murwangi, was also the source for many of the actors in the 2006 cinematic production Ten Canoes
Ten Canoes
Ten Canoes is a 2006 film. It was directed by Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigirr and starred Crusoe Kurddal. The title of the film arose from discussions between de Heer and David Gulpilil about a photograph of ten canoeists poling across the Arafura Swamp, taken by anthropologist Donald Thomson in...
.
Alcohol is banned in Ramingining. It cannot be consumed by residents or visitors. Kava
Kava
Kava or kava-kava is a crop of the western Pacific....
used to be legally available, but was banned in the entire Northern Territory in August 2007 as a part of the federal government's intervention on indigenous affairs
Northern Territory National Emergency Response
The Northern Territory National Emergency Response was a package of changes to welfare provision, law enforcement, land tenure and other measures, introduced by the Australian federal government under John Howard in 2007 to address claims of rampant child sexual abuse and neglect in Northern...
.
Ramingining school is paired with a sister school in Cockatoo, Victoria
Cockatoo, Victoria
Cockatoo is a town in Victoria, Australia, 48 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Cardinia. At the 2006 Census, Cockatoo had a population of 4,560....
, Cockatoo Primary School. Exchange visits are organised where groups of Year 5 pupils and accompanying teachers visit Ramingining for a week. A few weeks or months later, Ramingining students from Year 5 and 6 visit Cockatoo Primary School.
A newer program that started in 2009 saw year nine boys from St Kevins College in Victoria visit Ramingining. The two schools are now fully immersed in an exchange program which will benefit both year 9 boys going into Ramingining and year 7-9 students from Ramingining going to Melbourne.