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Ntaria Junior Rangers

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Land for Wildlife was invited out to the Ntaria Junior Rangers Camp with the Tjuwanpa Women Rangers last week. The Tjuwanpa Women Rangers care for country, managing fire, feral animals and weeds, at the Finke Gorge National Park. Their aim is to have “Akarkutja Warnka Mabaka Kaltjithika”, which means “older women and younger women all learning together” (ABC). Part of this aim is to work with the Ntaria Junior Rangers and encourage other groups to get involved in teaching the younger generation about the importance of managing country appropriately.

The Ntaria Junior Rangers camped at Palm Valley and the team from ABC Back Roads were there to document their learning journey. Land for Wildlife spoke to the group about the changing world, as part of their current curriculum – covering topics such as extreme weather and human-induced changes to the environment. We were also lucky to have been involved with a story-telling session by a Ntaria ‘Tjilpi‘ the previous night, given in both Arrernte and English.

Junior Rangers getting together for filming
Junior Rangers getting together for filming
Tjuwanpa Women Rangers help to translate bird names into Arrernte for coordinator Gerard Lessels
Tjuwanpa Women Rangers help to translate bird names into Arrernte for coordinator Gerard Lessels
Assistant to Land for Wildlife, Emma Smith, helps the Junior Rangers find ways to minimise their impact on the environment
Assistant to Land for Wildlife, Emma Smith, helps the Junior Rangers find ways to minimise their impact on the environment
Junior Ranger responses in the LFW session booklet
Junior Ranger responses in the LFW session booklet