The naming of the General Gumala Foundation has an important meaning. In Banjima language, Gumala means “all together” which represents how three language groups, Banjima, Yinhawangka and Nyiyaparli, came together to negotiate the Yandi Land Use Agreement (YLUA) and the General Gumala Foundation Trust Deed (Trust Deed).
The YLUA was signed in 1997 by Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd (now owned by Rio Tinto) and was the first agreement of its kind in Western Australia, enabling mining on Traditional Land in exchange for compensation paid to the Traditional Owners. It took over 12 months to complete and was the first major land-use agreement to be concluded after the 1992 Mabo Decision. In 2022, Gumala celebrated 25 years since the historic event occurred.
The Trust Deed was signed in the same year, and is a comprehensive, 34-page legal document between Gumala Aboriginal Corporation (The Manager), Gumala Investments Pty Ltd (The Trustee) and the Traditional Owners of the Banjima, Yinhawangka and Nyiyaparli people.
The Yandicoogina mine began operations in 1998. The mine site is 95 kilometres north-west of Newman and borders the eastern edge of the spectacular Karijini National Park. It is an open-pit operation with on-site processing facilities.
To visit Rio Tinto’s website, click here.
