men and boys in a bush shelter on Groote Eylandt, 1933
Traditional owners The
traditional owners of Groote Eylandt, the
Anindilyakwa people, have 14 clan groups, which make up the two
moieties on Groote Eylandt. The Anindilyakwa people have inhabited the island for thousands of years. The clans maintain their traditions and have strong ties with the people in the community of
Numbulwar and on
Bickerton Island. In 1856, the Jurambunga tribe, a local aboriginal conglomerate would regularly pass the island.
Macassan traders There had been regular
contact between local Aboriginal people and
Macassan traders who would visit the area searching for
trepang from around the early to mid-1700s. They introduced culinary delights such as tamarinds, chilli and beer. The trade continued until the Australian Government introduced the
White Australia Policy in 1906. There is still evidence of the Macassans, such as the wild
tamarind trees, which the traders introduced to the area. Some Groote Eylandt settlements, such as Umbakumba, can trace their names back to
Macassan origin.
Machado-Joseph Disease (MJD) The first recorded European sighting of Groote Eylandt was in 1623, by the
Dutch ship
Arnhem, under Willem van Coolsteerdt. However, the relative prevalence of the hereditary
Machado-Joseph Disease (MJD) in the Groote Eylandt community (a condition otherwise mainly found in the
Azores) was previously suggested as evidence of early contact with Portuguese sailors. (Contact with Chinese traders has also been suggested as a cause.) Recent genetic studies showed that the Groote Eylandt families with MJD shared a haplogroup with some families from Taiwanese, Indian, and Japanese families.
European Colonisation Church Mission Society The first European settlement on the island was a Christian mission established by the
Church Missionary Society at Emerald River in 1921. In 1943, after a cyclone swept through the mission, CMS decided to move the settlement south of the Angurugu River. The local Anindilyakwa people called the chosen location "Mungwardinamanja". However, as it was difficult for the European missionaries to pronounce, the local Anindilyakwa men guiding them chose the name of the Angurugu River mouth "Angurrkwa", which was later Anglicised to Angurugu.
Umbakumba Mr Fred H. Gray, a
pearl and trepang trader, established the Umbakumba Native Settlement on an old Macassan trading post in 1938. The place-name itself
Umbakumba comes from the Malay word
ombak-ombak, which means ‘lapping of waves’. He used the settlement as a base for
trepanging and employed many of the Aboriginal locals during the 20s and 30s.
World War II During
World War II, in 1943, the mission moved to
Angurugu, as the
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) required the use of the mission's airstrip: the ruins of the RAAF base are still evident today.
Qantas used the island as a
flying boat base. Following the
Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976, Groote Eylandt was converted to Aboriginal freehold title land. In 1979, control of the island was transferred to the local Aboriginal Town Council.
Manganese mining Groote Eylandt Mining Company The majority of Australia's
manganese reserves are located on the western side of Groote Eylandt and the deposits there comprise oolitic and pisolitic sedimentary manganese and sit within the
Cretaceous Carpentaria Basin. Special mining leases were granted to the
Groote Eylandt Mining Company (GEMCO) and it has been in operation since 25 July 1964 near the community of
Angurugu and, as a part of its establishment, the town of
Alyangula was built as a residence for mine workers in the late 1960s. The
World Health Organization advised that breathing even low levels of manganese can damage brain functions relating to dexterity and also damage respiratory and reproductive systems. To investigate the possible impacts on humans studies are being undertaken at the
University of Queensland. Sylvia Tkac, an Anindilyakwa woman, who used to work at the mine said of it: Mining rights are renewed every 21 years, with operations expected to continue until at least 2027. In March 2024 a carrier of the manganese ore, MV Anikitos, caused significant damage to the mines port during
Cyclone Megan; this did not lead to a fuel leak but did, temporarily, halt production.
Winchelsea Mining In 2019 Wichelsea Mining was granted an exploration license covering part of Winchelsea Island (Akwamburrkba), which is off the northwestern coast of Groote Eylandt. This company is a joint venture between the Anindilyakwa Advancement Aboriginal Corporation (AAAC) and AUS China International Mining and, in December 2020, they applied for a stage open cut mine plan and in 2024 they completed works on accommodation at the site. This mine is part of a strategy to make the residents of Groote Eylandt economically independent and
Anindilyakwa Land Council chair, Tony Wurramarrba, says of it:
Present-day On 20 May 2008, the federal government signed a deal with local Aboriginal people from Groote Eylandt to lease land to the government for 40 years. In return, the government will spend money in the community to improve housing, education, and health in the area. ==Notable people==