Yolŋu Knowledge Framework: a bilingual website for caring for Country
A bilingual website — Yolŋu law, the elders' visions and the directions for managing their Indigenous Protected Areas, in Yolŋu Matha and English.
Our approach
This framework belongs to the Dhimurru and Yirralka Rangers and the elders whose law it carries, so our job was to build a home for it rather than to shape it. We worked from the rangers' own structure: the elders' voices first, then how Country is cared for, then the management directions for the two Indigenous Protected Areas. Both languages were treated as equals, with Yolŋu Matha written in its own spelling and every section available in English alongside it, and the site was checked with the rangers before each part went live. Because the framework keeps growing, with video chapters, a seasonal calendar and resources still to come, we built it on WordPress with a simple page structure the ranger teams can extend themselves, and added a sign-up so followers hear when new chapters arrive.
Product key features
Two languages, one framework
- Every section published in Yolŋu Matha and English
- Yolŋu words kept in their own spelling (ŋ, ä) throughout the site
- Clear navigation between the two language versions
Voices of the Elders
- The elders' visions presented as the foundation of the framework
- Image galleries tied to each part of the story
- Sign-up form so people hear when new video chapters are released
Management directions for the Indigenous Protected Areas
- How we care for Country, in three parts
- Eight directions: burning, sea management, women's roles, education, threats, collaboration, economic development and reporting
- Plans of Management, with a seasonal calendar and resources to follow
Built for the rangers to keep growing
- WordPress, so ranger staff can add chapters, galleries and videos themselves
- A structure that takes new sections without a rebuild
- Links through to the rangers' Facebook and Instagram