Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are warned that this website may contain

the names and images of people who have passed away

Wangka Maya Directors: Bruce Thomas, Harry Taylor, Anne Sibosado, Trudy Hayes and Lorraine Injie

Members and Board of Directors

Wangka Maya's membership is made up of more than 90 Aboriginal people, many of whom speak Pilbara Indigenous languages. Members must be Aboriginal people who reside in the Pilbara region. People interested in becoming members will find the Application for Membership form on page 13 of the Rules. Members enjoy benefits such as a 20% discount on all Wangka Maya publications and invitations to Wangka Maya events.

 

The members meet at least once a year at the AGM to elect the Board of Directors, to receive reports on the previous year's work and to have input into Wangka Maya's policies and strategic plan.

 

At the AGM the members also have input into decisions on priorities in language work and the projects for the coming year. In this way, Wangka Maya ensures that language work is responsive to community needs and interests.  The members elect the Board of Directors who then meet monthly to govern the organisation.

 

The Board has responsibility for the governance of Wangka Maya, which includes making sure that the organisation fulfils its vision and complies with the Rules and all legal, planning and reporting obligations. They employ the Manager, who implements their plans and policies.

 

Wangka Maya Manager

The Wangka Maya Manager reports to the Board each month on progress in implementing the policies and strategic direction developed by the Board and the membership in order to meet the organisation's goals. The Manager is responsible for the organisation's funds, staff, equipment and resources.

 

Senior Linguist

The Senior Linguist is responsible for an annual language needs analysis to guide the members in setting priorities in language work. In 2010 a Pilbara Language Inventory was developed which catalogued each language, the work already carried out, the material available publicly, the number and extent of recordings of the language, the degree of analysis of the language and so on. Each language was classified according to its degree of endangerment: extinct, critically endangered, severely endangered, definitely endangered or unsafe.

 

Each year, the results of extensive community consultation are considered along with the Language Inventory to determine the future priorities for language work.