#WhyIMap: Supporting the Indigenous Mapping Workshop

IMW Alumnus, Murrie Kemp, is a proud Ghungalu and Yuwibara man from Queensland. He is also the Aboriginal Place Names Officer at the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP). 

He has a strong passion for bush medicine as his Great Gunnyar (Uncle) Charlie Mummins was a Yarrabunbuddi (Medicine man) who passed this on to his Nardee (Grandad), his Yabu (father) who then passed this knowledge onto Murrie. In addition, Murrie has a strong passion for language revitalisation and its role in identity for Indigenous Australians.  

Murrie travelled from Victoria to attend the Indigenous Mapping Workshop (IMW) 2019 in Perth. We recently had a chance to interview Murrie about his workshop experience.

How did you first hear about IMW?

My colleague, Craig Sandy, attended the Asia Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards April 2019. During the awards ceremony, NGIS’ Managing Director, Paul Farrell, was accepting an award and used the opportunity to share the importance of supporting our Indigenous thoogoo (brothers) and oothung (sisters), suggesting that they attend the Indigenous Mapping Workshop 2019 in Perth.

Craig passed this information onto me and I instantly applied and referred the workshop onto five Victorian Aboriginal colleagues who attended the workshop with me.

What was your personal experience at IMW?

I thoroughly enjoyed participating in IMW 2019 and acquiring mapping skills that help with my cultural and heritage mapping work. I could see that the lessons would help me with upskilling mob back home and better understand the Geographic Information System tools we have available within my workplace.

I loved the layout of IMW and how it accommodated all levels of experience from beginner to intermediate and advanced.

A key area of benefit for me was that we were shown how to protect culturally sensitive sites by de-identifying those areas on a map. One area of particular interest for me was how we map Australia’s biodiversity, such as bush medicines, which is important to my family. I learnt how to map the medicines and de-identify them using Google Maps so that knowledge is kept within Ghungalu until we are ready for it to be researched and shared with the public.

How has your involvement with IMW changed?

Initially, I represented DELWP at the IMW along with other Department colleagues and traditional owners from Victoria. The workshop is an invaluable resource to upskill our mob on the tools they need to map, as well as protect and preserve culturally significant places. I heard inspiring feedback from other participants, which highlighted the significance of this initiative and the need for more Indigenous Australians to gain expertise in these technical areas. 

When Winyama confirmed that the location of the next face-to-face workshop would be in Melbourne, my colleagues Craig Sandy, Rafe Benli and I suggested we sponsor and partner with Winyama as a local supporter.

Due to the upcoming treaty process here in Victoria, I believe this workshop will play a role in providing insight and skills on the appropriate tools for our mob to bring their views to the negotiation table.

I strongly believe that Winyama’s work through the IMW is crucial in providing Indigenous people with the GIS tools to advance self-determination.

Within the mapping space, this could be demonstrated by highlighting areas of huge cultural significance, which will support Indigenous communities’ impact on economic development to create prosperity and wealth - or it could be ensuring that we have greater protection of those areas and their biodiversity throughout Victoria.

Whatever it may be, I know that the skills acquired at the IMW are extremely beneficial to all Indigenous Australians.

And although the onset of COVID-19 means that the face-to-face IMW in Melbourne will be delayed for a short while, the new digital IMW Australia - On Demand will ensure that this crucial education can continue from wherever the attendees are around Australia. 

Find out more and apply to participate in the IMW Australia - On Demand.