The Krantji Kangaroo Clan of Central Australia

Points covered:

• Who are the Krantji Kangaroo clan?
• How do their spiritual beliefs affect their hunting practices?
• How do they help in the conservation of the Red Kangaroo?

The Krantji Kangaroo clan are Northern Arrernte people: Aborigines who come from the desert plain and scrub mulga around the northern end of Central Australia's MacDonnell Ranges.

For thousands of years, the people of the Krantji Kangaroo clan have understood that their existence is intimately linked with the survival of their homeland's plants, animals and ecosystems. Their spiritual beliefs have led them to practise principles of conservation similar to those now being promoted by scientists all over the world.

The Krantji share their land with the Red Kangaroo, Macropus rufus. According to Krantji creation stories, the people of the clan and the Red Kangaroos of today share a common ancestor: Krantjirinja, a supernatural being who was a Red Kangaroo by day and a human by night. Krantjirinja is revered as the clan's 'chief'. He emerged from the Earth's underground 'womb' through a small spring and embarked on a journey that shaped the landscape and influenced the creation of all other plants and animals in the Krantji's homeland. Today, the spring is surrounded by lush grass and vegetation and is the Krantji's most sacred site. Each generation has a responsibility to honour and preserve it.

The Krantji hunt Red Kangaroos for food. However, their hunting is always guided by Krantjirinja's journey. Tribal law permits the culling of Red Kangaroos only on the desert-like plains that correspond to Krantjirinja's underground journey, where his life-giving powers had no effect on the land. Many sites located along the Krantjirinja's overland course are regarded by the clan as sacred, so the Krantji ban the hunting of Red Kangaroos in these areas.

A prominent zoologist, A E Newsome, studied the Krantji's beliefs and compared them to modern scientific concepts. Newsome found that the locations where hunting is prohibited correspond almost exactly to areas of prime Red Kangaroo habitat. So the Krantji had established conservation reserves for the Red Kangaroo which ensured it was never subjected to excessive hunting.

By combining their understanding of nature with their spiritual beliefs, the Krantji have developed a relationship with the land that not only ensures the survival of their people, but also the survival of their environment.

Karen McGhee