Maningrida, Northern Territory

Maningrida is an Aboriginal community in the heart of the Arnhem Land region of Australia's Northern Territory. Maningrida is 500 km (311 mi) east of Darwin,[1] and 300 km (186 mi) north east of Jabiru. At the 2016 census, Maningrida had a population of 2,308.[2]

"Maningrida" redirects here. For the gastropod of family Maningrididae, see Maningrida arnhemensis. For the language family, see Maningrida languages.

It is on the North Central Arnhem Land coast of the Arafura Sea, on the estuary of the Liverpool River. The Kunibídji people are the traditional landowners of this country. The name Maningrida is an Anglicised version of the Kunibídji name Manayingkarírra, which comes from the phrase Mane djang karirra, meaning "the place where the Dreaming changed shape".[3] The town supports a population of over 2,600 people,[4] which includes those who live on the 30 homeland centres or outstations around Maningrida. Major players in the town's economic and political life include the Maningrida Progress Association, the Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation, Mala'la Health Service Aboriginal Corporation and the West Arnhem Regional Council.

History

The township of Maningrida dates back to just after World War 2. Syd Kyle-Little, working for the newly formed Native Affairs Department, came up with the plan of a trading post to create a self-sufficient Aboriginal community, where the trading post became the central meeting point attracting tribes from the interior and surrounding coastal regions. A successful trading post was to stop the drift of Aboriginal people leaving their homelands and moving to Darwin. Its success would make Maningrida independent and not having to rely on welfare. Jack Doolan became Syd's cadet patrol officer and together they made the first white contact with the Aboriginal tribes since a hostile encounter with Mathew Flinders on his circumnavigation of Australia. This was converted by Dave and Ingrid Drysdale into a permanent Welfare Department settlement from 1957, partly to quell the post-war migration of Aboriginal people from the Blyth and Liverpool Rivers regions into Darwin. Patrols went out to spread the word and encourage people to move into the settlement. Within a few years, many people from the surrounding area were living in Maningrida.

On the night of 24 April 2006 Cyclone Monica, the most severe cyclone ever to strike Australia, passed just to the west of the community. The community was spared the full brute force of the category 5 cyclone and infrastructure damage was only light to moderate.

In 2015, the town became the subject of international news when it was incorrectly reported that "more than 25,000 venomous spiders suddenly descended upon [the town]"[5]. The confusion stemmed from a new article documenting a floodplain near the town with an extremely high concentration of tarantulas[6].

Culture

The north central Arnhem Land area now serviced by Maningrida extends from Marrkolidjban in Eastern Kunwinjku country to the west, to Berriba in Dangbon country in the south, and over as far as Yinangarnduwa, or Cape Stewart, in the east. In per capita terms, it is perhaps the most multilingual community in the world. The linguistic variety is echoed by the cultural diversity in the area, evidenced by the number of different religious ceremonies and the multitude of artistic forms in design, music and dance. People speak Ndjébbana, eastern Kunwinjku, Kune, Rembarrnga, Dangbon/Dalabon, Nakkara, Gurrgoni, Djinang, Wurlaki, Ganalbingu, Gupapuyngu, Kunbarlang, Gun-nartpa, Burarra, and English. Most people have command of at least three of these languages.

Maningrida Arts and Culture represents more than 250 artists, including internationally acclaimed contemporary artists John Mawurndjul, Owen Yalandja, Crusoe Kurddal, Lena Yarinkura, and Bob Burruwal.

Education

Maningrida College is the primary - secondary school.

Environment

Climate
Climate data for Maningrida
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 37.0
(98.6)		 37.6
(99.7)		 37.2
(99.0)		 36.0
(96.8)		 35.4
(95.7)		 34.0
(93.2)		 34.0
(93.2)		 35.7
(96.3)		 36.7
(98.1)		 37.8
(100.0)		 38.4
(101.1)		 37.6
(99.7)		 38.4
(101.1)
Average high °C (°F) 32.4
(90.3)		 31.8
(89.2)		 31.9
(89.4)		 32.4
(90.3)		 31.9
(89.4)		 30.4
(86.7)		 30.1
(86.2)		 30.7
(87.3)		 31.7
(89.1)		 32.6
(90.7)		 33.4
(92.1)		 33.1
(91.6)		 31.9
(89.4)
Average low °C (°F) 24.8
(76.6)		 24.6
(76.3)		 24.2
(75.6)		 22.9
(73.2)		 21.0
(69.8)		 18.6
(65.5)		 17.2
(63.0)		 17.8
(64.0)		 20.0
(68.0)		 22.9
(73.2)		 24.6
(76.3)		 25.1
(77.2)		 22.0
(71.6)
Record low °C (°F) 19.9
(67.8)		 20.0
(68.0)		 18.2
(64.8)		 15.3
(59.5)		 12.5
(54.5)		 9.7
(49.5)		 7.2
(45.0)		 8.2
(46.8)		 10.0
(50.0)		 13.3
(55.9)		 17.0
(62.6)		 19.7
(67.5)		 7.2
(45.0)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 276.3
(10.88)		 261.9
(10.31)		 293.4
(11.55)		 123.3
(4.85)		 23.1
(0.91)		 1.5
(0.06)		 1.6
(0.06)		 0.3
(0.01)		 1.8
(0.07)		 12.5
(0.49)		 49.7
(1.96)		 214.2
(8.43)		 1,284.4
(50.57)
Average rainy days 17.5 18.2 17.6 10.6 3.8 0.9 0.5 0.2 0.2 1.6 5.1 13.1 89.3
Source: [7]

Important Bird Area

Close to Maningrida is Haul Round Island which has been identified as an Important Bird Area because of its seabird breeding colony - one of the largest in the Northern Territory. The seabird eggs, mainly those of roseate and bridled terns, are often harvested as a food resource.[8]

See also

References
  1. "MH17: Australian victim Emma Bell cremated in Amsterdam" (Archive). ABC Australia. Sunday 7 September 2014. Retrieved on 22 September 2014.
  2. "2016 Census QuickStats: Maningrida Outstations". quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  3. "Maningrida College". Schools NT. Northern Territory Department of Education. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  4. "2016 Census QuickStats: Maningrida Outstations". quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  5. James Oaten. "Maningrida's 'horror tarantula plague' more hype than reality, expert says". ABC News and Current Affairs. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  6. James Oaten. "Spider expert hails medicinal possibilities of NT tarantulas". ABC News and Current Affairs. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  7. "Maningrida". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  8. BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Haul Round Island. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 06/07/2011.

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