Arnhem Land

By Ali
Location
It is located in the north-eastern
corner of the territory and is around 500 km
(310 mi) from the territory capital,
Darwin .Its exact coordinates are
12° 43′ 48″ S, 134° 35′ 24″ E.
Its Ecoregion ID is 181
 People who live here ?
Northeast Arnhem Land is home to
the indigenous Yolngu people, one of
the largest Indigenous groups in
Australia .Also Its the home of Gan
Gan, aka Gangan, a remote inland
riverside community, in the traditional
lands of the Dhalwaŋu people. There
are several well-known artists in the
community, notably Malaluba
Gumana, Nongirrnga Marawili,
Gawarrin Gumana and Garawan
Wanambi .
 Features of Arnhem land
❏ Arnhem Land is defined by a rugged sandstone massif surrounded by vast floodplains.
❏ Arnhem Land and the Cape York Peninsula to the east have a similar monsoonal climate and share many ecological
features and groups of plants and animals.
❏ Arnhem Land is notable for its vast relatively natural landscapes, mosaics of floodplains, woodlands, wetlands,
sedgelands, mangroves, and pockets of vine-filled monsoonal rainforest.
❏ The long isolation of this relatively wet ecoregion, separated from distant wetter ecoregions by Australia's vast
deserts, has contributed to the evolution of a large number of endemic species, particularly in the sandstone
highlands that support at least 160 endemic plants, such as Eucalyptus koolpinensis.
❏ Over 1,900 plant taxa have been recorded in the ecoregion with at least 200 found nowhere else.
❏ Darwin stringybark (Eucalyptus tetrodonta) and Darwin woollybutt (E. miniata) dominate eucalypt open forests
across the region, with a tall grass understory made up of Sorghum spp.
❏ Over 10,000 rainforest patches as well as patches of monsoon vine-thicket occur, along with floodplain sedgelands
and grasslands, mangrove forests and swamp forests with mainly Melaleuca spp.
❏ Heathlands on sandstone escarpments support a high proportion of fire-sensitive shrubs.
❏ Here, 50 vascular plants are endemic.
❏ The monsoon rainforest patches support a high level of endemism, with 36 species of endemic plants recorded from
a total flora of 585 species.
❏ The palm (Ptychosperma macarthurii) is one of the endangered plant species of the ecoregion.
❏ The native Allosyncarpia ternata (Myrtaceae) is a dominant tree in the rainforests.
Leaving a mark
The “X-ray” tradition in Aboriginal art is thought to have developed around 2000 B.C. and continues to
the present day. As its name implies, the X-ray style depicts animals or human figures in which the
internal organs and bone structures are clearly visible. X-ray art includes sacred images of ancestral
supernatural beings as well as secular works depicting fish and animals that were important food
sources. In many instances, the paintings show fish and game species from the local area. Through the
creation of X-ray art, Aboriginal painters express their ongoing relationships with the natural and
supernatural worlds.Pre-Estuarine rock art is characterized by a variety of images in red ocher
pigments. In historic times, such images were created with brushes made from bark, feathers, or the
chewed ends of sticks, and it is likely similar tools were used in the past. Among the most distinctive
images are the animated stick figures of the Dynamic Figure tradition, which are often depicted clad in
elaborate regalia and shown participating in hunting and other activities. Some contemporary
Aboriginals identify these figures as mimi, slender spirits who taught humans to hunt and paint during
the Dreaming, or creation period. In present-day Aboriginal belief, many Dynamic Figure images are
said to have been painted by mimi rather than humans. Pre-Estuarine rock paintings also include
depictions of extinct animals and enigmatic beings that combine the features of humans and wild
yams.Rock painting had several functions in historic times. Images were created to increase the
population of game animals or for use in magic. Depictions of important Dreaming beings are common,
as well as secular paintings made for amusement. Although the original significance of Ubirr’s
prehistoric images is unknown, they likely had similar functions.
 How long has it been ?
Yolŋu culture in East Arnhem Land is among the oldest living cultures on Earth, stretching
back more than 60 000 years. The earliest history of East Arnhem Land is recorded in the
paintings, dances and songs of
Yolŋu, which tell of creation
ancestors bringing lands and
waters, people, animals and
plants into being and laying
down the Law that governs them all.This suggests
that people have been there
for more than 60,000 years .
This is also supported by their
flourished culture and unique
beliefs.
 What is so important about it ?
Arnhem Land is home to the
Aboriginal Yolngu people.Sacred
sites give meaning to the natural
landscape. Aboriginal people know
that sacred sites can be dangerous
places and can play an important
part in their health and well-
being.Arnhem land is very important
in indegeneous culture because it
their home and it anchors cultural
values and spiritual and kin-based
relationships in the land.
 Protection
At nearly 20,000 square kilometres, the South East
Arnhem Land Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) spans
most of south east Arnhem Land along the far western
Gulf of Carpentaria from Blue Mud Bay to the mouth of
the Roper River – where tidal flats meet vast coastal
plains backed by rugged sandstone uplands. The
vegetation is predominately open eucalypt woodlands
with paperbark and monsoon rainforests along
waterways or in moister pockets. In the north, tall
eucalypt woodlands occur on the deepest soils, while a
mosaic of native grasslands, vine thickets, samphire and
mangroves characterise the coastal lowlands. The IPA is
managed by an Advisory Committee of senior elders
from the Ngukurr and Numbulwar communities, who
oversee the Northern Land Council managed Yugul
Mangi & Numbulwar Numburindi Amalahgayag Inyung
Indigenous Ranger groups.
 How is it used today?

It is now used as a aborignal reserves for

aborignal ceremonies . This land belongs to
thm due their beliefs which are that the land
and the people were created by spiritual
ancestors. They made the rivers the water
holes the hills the rocks and all living things.
They gave each clan their land, their totems,
their laws to live by and their dreaming.It can’t
be accessed by any other people and
trespassing can result in a penalty of upto
$20,000.