Acknowledging cultural protocol on Warumungu Land is explained through the story at the heart of our constitution, the story of Julawarra and Gilygi.

Julawurra the python who was the gyirda (rightful boss) of Jurnkkurakurr our sacred waterhole, and Gilygi the snake that came without permission from the west. Our Wingara (spiritual ancestral beings) created law to keep order on our Country. It was them that put these laws in place, and still today these laws keep harmony in our community. These Warumungu laws and customs came from our spiritual ancestral beings, on our Manu (country).

Today we still practice these protocols, and they need to be acknowledged and respected by both cultures, Wumpurrarni (Indigenous) and Papulinyi (non-Indigenous), for us to work together in harmony.


(Click anywhere to enter)

New video project tackles the Territory’s remote housing crisis

In a first of its kind video project, Wilya Janta housing collaboration is aiming to reach remote Aboriginal communities where they’re at.

The three-part video series tells the story of Wilya Janta’s origins and vision for climate-ready and culturally appropriate remote housing. The idea for Wilya Janta was born from a need to resolve the Territory’s remote housing crisis, where unsuitable, overheated, and overcrowded housing is making communities sick.

The videos will be translated into nine community languages including, Warumungu, Pintupi-Luritja, Tennant Creek Aboriginal English, Gurindji, Ngarinymin, Warlpiri, Katherine East Creol, Yolngu, and Nguwingu.

“Language really matters, it is at the heart of culture. Wilya Janta is an organisation driven by our Warumungu founders who insist that culture drives how we operate,” says Wilya Janta CEO Dr Simon Quilty.

“It’s imperative we share our story the right way, in language, so that remote communities across the Territory can hear what we are doing, their way.”

“Our hope is that through the video series, communities will be able to visualise an alternative model of housing that is suited for them, their needs, and families. Housing that respects and embeds their culture into the design of their home,” he said.

Jimmy Frank Jupurrurla, a Warumungu man and Chair of Wilya Janta, says:

“This journey with Wilya Janta, we want all remote communities to know that culture is important, it’s at the heart of what we are doing. Every house was built by government, culture wasn’t important, but culture is one of the most important things. Culture is our identity, it’s who we are, and language and culture they go together. We want Wumpurrarni [Aboriginal] people across the NT to hear our story in their own language, the right way.”

The video series was commissioned by Wilya Janta to spread the message to people across remote Northern Territory communities that being forced to live in very substandard houses is an injustice.

In March last year, the Federal and Territory governments announced $4 billion in funding for remote housing in the Northern Territory. It was a desperately-needed investment that could make a significant difference, but only if governments are genuinely committed to engaging with community and working on innovative solutions to housing design and evaluation.

Wilya Janta will be taking the video series on the road later this year, with showings in Yuendumu, Lajamanu, Kalkarindji, Dargaragu, Yarralin, Ali Curung, Utopia, Ngukurr, and more communities to come.

The project was made possible through Highway Learning and the Purple House Language Group, with support from Groundswell, ANZ, and the Climate Action Network Australia.

View the video series here:

To obtain downloadable files to distribute via your own channels, please contact: hello@wilyajanta.org

Background information:

The Wilya Janta (Standing Strong) housing collaboration is an innovative Aboriginal
not-for-profit cultural consultancy
that promotes community agency in the design and construction of culturally and environmentally appropriate homes that allow First Nations communities to thrive.

Through culturally sensitive collaboration, design and building, Wilya Janta is pushing to define a new standard for housing in remote communities. This will include homes designed specifically for the local climate with optimal thermal performance to reduce the need for cooling and reduce drivers of poverty.

Further Reading