Yirrkala is an Aboriginal settlement in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia . The place is located 12 kilometers southeast of Nhulunbuy , a mining town. Yirrkala is home to around 1000 Aboriginal people, most of which are from the Yolngu Aboriginal tribe . Another 800 Aborigines live in the vicinity of Yirrkala. It is a place with an internationally recognized Aboriginal artist colony.
history
Yirrkala was founded as a Methodist mission in 1935. Around Yirrkala there are about 25 homeland centers within a radius of 200 kilometers, an area that corresponds to the original land of the Yolngu , an Aboriginal tribe . Today in 2009, numerous Aboriginal artists who are nationally and internationally known live in the village. Her works are in well-known exhibitions and collections and the artists have received numerous awards.
The town played an important role in the relationship between Aborigines and whites in 1963, as the population of Yirrkala a petition on tree bark (English: bark ) to the government against the exploitation of bauxite deposits in their country sent by a mining company. This action, known as the Yolngu Bark Petition , was unsuccessful, but the mining company offered a compensation payment and respected the sacred places of the Aborigines. Furthermore, a permanent parliamentary commission was set up to examine developments in Yirrkala and to accept the moral rights of the Aboriginal lands. The protest, the Yolngu Bark Petition , is on display in the Australian Parliament in Canberra .
Yirrkala is home to a large number of pilots and engineers from the Arnhem Land airlines that operate the domestic routes. A landing strip is close to the place. Yirrakala is known for making excellent didgeridoos . Members of the Aboriginal rock band Yothu Yindi live in the village.
There is a grocery store, a women's center, a kindergarten, an information center for the protection of the country and a health clinic, as well as the Yirrkala Homelands School , which offers space for 270 students.
