Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara

CSIRO gives Wajarri Yamaji traditional name to its radio astronomy observatory.

Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has welcomed a new Wajarri Yamaji traditional name for its radio astronomy observatory in mid-west Western Australia.

The name Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara means ‘sharing sky and stars’ in the Wajarri language. The traditional name is part a new Indigenous Land Use Agreement, or ILUA, with the Wajarri Yamaji. CSIRO, along with Australian and Western Australian Governments, has signed the new ILUA with the Wajarri Yamaji People, the Traditional Owners and native title holders of the land on which the observatory sits.

This observatory in the heart of Wajarri Country in remote Western Australia is home to the ASKAP radio telescope as well as other international radio astronomy projects. The Curtin University-led Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) and Arizona State University's Experiment to Detect the Global Epoch of Reionisation Signature (EDGES) instrument is also currently hosted.

The site is also being prepared for one of the two SKA telescopes. The SKA telescopes will be the largest and most capable radio telescopes in the world and promise to answer some of the biggest questions about our universe.

Radio telescopes at the observatory detect radio waves at similar frequencies to digital TV broadcasts and 4G mobile networks. This means that the telescopes must be located a long way from human settlements, so that terrestrial signals don’t interfere with the weaker signals coming from natural sources in space, which is why the site is one of the best places in the world for radio astronomy.

The agreement enables expansion of CSIRO’s radio astronomy observatory site to allow for construction of the international SKALow telescope, part of the global SKA Observatory, alongside existing instruments including CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope.

The traditional name was suggested by Wajarri woman Shakira Whitehurst for a competition run by the Wajarri Yamaji Aboriginal Corporation (WYAC) and selected by members of the Wajarri Minangu Land Committee, the Traditional Owners of the observatory area on Wajarri Country. The Wajarri name will be one part of a new dual, official name for the site: Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory.

“We look at the sky every day, and we now have the opportunity to share our skies with the rest of the world,” said Jennylyn Hamlett, WYAC Chairperson and Minangu Land Committee member. “This Wajarri name connects our culture and language to what our Country is being used for,” Hamlett said.

Dwayne Mallard, member of the Minangu Land Committee, said that the observatory has a light footprint on the land and is combining ancient culture with modern science to create mutual benefit. “We are born into the responsibility and obligation to preserve, protect and maintain dignity of our land, culture and people,” Mallard said.

“My good friend Shane Howard sings 'you look into the heart of the land, and you have to choose whether the wealth we gain is worth the wealth we lose'. I don't think we've lost anything here, and that's very important.”

“Providing a means for the Wajarri Yamaji to share their culture and language with Australians and researchers around the world is a privilege,” Dr Marshall said.

“Protecting heritage and Country are critical elements of the ILUA, and CSIRO is proud to be partnering with the Wajarri Yamaji in the land management and cultural heritage protection of the observatory site, ensuring that we leave our footprints carefully in the sands of time as we walk side by side into a better future together.”

Through its Reconciliation Action Plan, CSIRO is committed to building genuine partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through education, science, innovation and research.

The new ILUA with the Wajarri Yamaji People demonstrates this commitment by fostering a culture that respects and honours the rich history of the nation.

Construction of the SKA-Low telescope at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, is expected to begin later this year.

The SKA-Low telescope, alongside its counterpart SKA-Mid in South Africa, will explore the Universe in more detail than ever before, transforming our understanding of the cosmos and benefitting society through global collaboration and innovation. csiro.au