About ETNTAC
Working together to achieve more
A strong voice and opportunity for Wudjari Nyungar people and the Kepa Kurl community.
Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (ETNTAC) was registered by the Federal Court of Australia as the Native Title Body Corporate for the Kepa Kurl Wudjari people on 6 September 2016. We are the first point of contact for government and other parties who want to conduct business with traditional owners in Esperance.
Kepa Kurl Wudjari Peoples' ancestral lands span over 30,000 square kilometres of Southern Western Australia.
Tjaltjraak comes from the Wudjari name for the Mallee (also known as Tallerack or Blue Mallee Eucalyptus pleurocarpa) which Wudjari People believe mark the extent of their Country.
Kepa Kurl Wudjari people are descended from seven apical ancestors. Today, six family groups are recognised as the direct descendants of those ancestors and the elders of those families have the rights and responsibilities for the practice of Wudjari Nyungar culture and for passing it on to future generations.
The six family groups are the Dabb, Boxer-Rogers, Reynolds, Yorkshire/Knapp, Bullen and Tucker. Today, the majority of Kepa Kurl Wudjari people live within the Esperance region, though some live elsewhere in the southwest, including Perth, Albany and Norseman.
We are a registered charity with a membership of approximately 300 Wudjari Nyungar persons. The wider native title holding group, who we represent and work for, comprises several thousand traditional owners.
Whilst member-focused, we value inclusivity and offer our services to all locally based First Nations people. Indeed, our pro-social and localized approach, achieves tangible outcomes for the entire Esperance community.
Welcome
Working together for a better future for Aboriginal Australians.
We are a forward-thinking, community based, For-Purpose organisation with a strong, outcomes-led vision for Kepa Kurl Wudjari people and our wider community.
Our culture blends traditional values and ethics with enterprise level best practice to enable us to realise our true potential here in Kepa Kurl (Esperance).
Two of our core principles are cultural security and inclusivity.
Our new website is designed as a central resource for us all. This hub is designed to enable us to collate, assess and, as appropriate, share our cultural knowledge and the opportunities it brings. We will always endeavour to do this in an equitable manner and look forward to sharing our journey together here.
Our People
Our board and staff are drawn from our community and are proud to both represent us and demonstrate what we can achieve when we work together.
Our Services
We deliver a growing range of services which promote increased mental, physical, social and cultural wellbeing for our community.
The heart of ETNTAC
In 2019 we launched our new Strategic Plan. A strong plan for a better future.
Our Impact
As the lead body for Kepa Kurl Wudjari people, our work empowers our members to build stable, purposeful, culturally connected lives. Our land and sea country programs produce tangible benefits across enterprise, the environment and the community through the re-connection of people, country and culture. We enable partner organisations to deliver more effective, culturally-secure regional services, particularly within the health & community sector.
Our Vision
A positive Kepa Kurl Wudjari community, centered around strong cultural identity and wellbeing, delivering sustainable opportunity for all.
Our Mission
We hold and manage Native Title rights on behalf of the Kepa Kurl Wudjari people following a determination by the Australian Federal Court on 14 March 2014. This determination enshrined our members' native title rights to nearly one million hectares of unallocated crown land, parks and reserves within the Esperance region, and recognised their continuing traditional laws and customs. As their nominated custodian; we assert and enforce the rights and interests of Kepa Kurl Wudjari people at all times.
Our Values
Our values are derived from the values of the Kepa Kurl Wudjari people and their relationship to land and sea country passed down from Elders. These are:
- Inclusivity. We will include all Kepa Kurl Wudjari families in our decision-making, activities and initiatives.
- Integrity. We will continue to explore new ways to operate with honesty, reciprocity and transparency.
- Custodianship. We will assert and enforce the rights and interests of the Kepa Kurl Wudjari people.
- Leadership. We will operate with professionalism and strive constantly for improvement to bring about change.
- Credibility. We do what we say in order to develop relationships of trust and respect.
- Accountability. We are accountable to our members as their representative body.
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