The Larrakia in Darwin’s Economic Landscape
Jackie Gould, Australian National University
The Larrakia – traditionally associated with the Darwin region - are a large, diverse and (largely) urban group. In this paper, I present a brief ethnographic outline of the Larrakia, including the contemporary constitution of the group and the historic forces which have shaped it. I then examine how the Larrakia Development Corporation (LDC) is emerging as a significant player within Darwin’s economic landscape. The LDC is asserting that the Larrakia have a stake in (and rights regarding) the future development of the city. In and of itself, this raises many interesting issues regarding how the economic identity of the Larrakia interacts with other cultural, political and historic elements of identity. I then focus on one initiative of the LDC, which involves the development of a caravan park on the Cox Peninsula. Although generally considered to be part of the traditional Larrakia estate, the bulk of cultural knowledge about the Peninsula is held by non-Larrakia individuals living in the community of Belyuen. In some ways, the LDC’s moves to establish the park represent an attempt to ‘re-colonize’ the Cox Peninsula via the mobilization of economic resources. The caravan park attempts to displace and usurp other interests in the area – both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. I explore the practical and ideological implications of this move, which is at once an act of economic,political and cultural significance.
