ELDER SAYS TRIBAL BOUNDARIES ‘WRONG’

Part of Norman Tindale’s 1974 map showing the boundaries of Nanda and Mulgana country.

GEOFF VIVIAN

A Nanda elder is calling for the Malgana Native Title Determination to be reviewed, as it includes Nanda land at Shark Bay.

According to research by Anthropologist Keith Cole, and Aboriginal language mapping expert Norman Tindale, Malgana country never extended to the coast and most of the Shark Bay shoreline was Nanda traditional land.

Sharon Gosper said Shark Bay elders verified the boundary in the 1990s, but at a later native title meeting outsiders came and moved to assert their own claim.

“[The outsiders] were having all the say on where the boundary should be, and they overrode Norman Tindale and Keith Cole and also these Elders,” Ms Gosper said.

“There wasn’t anybody from Denham that objected to it, because I don’t think they were sure of what was going on themselves. They decided then that all the Nanda country had to be divided, and sort of invented a Malgana tribe for Shark Bay.

Originally they were from Wooramel and Hamelin Pool Station way, not over Shark Bay and Denham, and this has been a bone of contention for years.”

Boundaries of the Malgana Native Title determined claim. Courtesy National Native Title Tribunal.

A spokesperson for the National Native Title Council said legislation allowed Native Title determinations to be revoked or amended under some circumstances.

Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation said they no longer represented the Malgana Native Title Group.

Malgana Aboriginal Corporation has been contacted for comment.