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History of PBC
The Wanjina-Wunggurr (Native Title) Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC, also known as the Wanjina-Wunggurr PBC, serves as the umbrella native title body for three distinct cultural groups who share common Wanjina Wunggurr ancestors and dreamtime mythology.
The Cultural Foundation
The Wanjina-Wunggurr community comprises three main groups who share common ancestors and deep cultural traditions: the Worrorra (Dambimangari) people, the Ngarinyin (Wilinggin) people, and the Wunambal Gaambera (Uunguu) people. This shared culture is based on dreamtime mythology and law whose creators are the Wanjina and Wunggurr spirits, ancestors of these peoples.
The Journey to Recognition
In 1998, the Wanjina Wunggurr Registered Native Title Body Corporate (RNTBC) lodged a native title claim on behalf of all three groups. This marked the beginning of a formal legal process that would span more than a decade, though the struggle for recognition had been ongoing for over two decades.
The claim sought to have Australian law recognise what the Traditional Owners had always known—their unbroken connection to Country spanning thousands of years.
Caring for Country
The Determinations
The native title recognition was achieved through three separate determinations between 2004 and 2011:
2004 - Wilinggin (Ngarinyin)
The PBC makes key decisions regarding the use of native title rights, consulting the right people and ensuring the community's voice is head in every activity.
2011 - Uunguu (Wunambal Gaambera)
Australian law recognised the Wunambal Gaambera people's unboroken connection to their country. This determination granted exclusive rights to 90 percent of their land and islands, with shared native title rights in the sea.
2011 - Dambimangari (Worrorra)
The consent determination recognised approximately 27, 937 square kilometers of land and sea, granting both exclusive and non-exclusive native title rights over the claim area.
Protecting Country for Future Generations
Wanjina Wunggurr Country is not a resource to be managed. It is a living cultural landscape guided by ancestral law and ongoing custodianship. Our responsibility is to protect it. Our commitment is to future generations. Our work continues every day to ensure Country remains strong.
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