Mata Mata is a homeland on the Arafura Sea about 4 hours drive from Nhulunbuy and Yirrkala. It was the original founding modern Arnhem land homeland, created in 1948. 

On July 30 2017  there were 22 people resident there. The population can range from 100 to 5 over the period of a year. There are 20 residents there for over seven months a year making it eligible to receive Northern Territory infrastructure funding. 

The funding and whole concept of what a homeland is undergoing change and Batumbil Burarrwaŋa, the leader of Mata Mata community, is quietly building a more independent, sustainable framework. The challenge is profound. It is like supporting the infrastructure of a small village without a rate base or a conventional industry base. 

The ISX has been working to support Mata Mata and the neighbouring Gi'kal homeland for over ten years in a grass roots and organic way primarly through two visionary women Batumbil and the late Ms. S. D. Gurruwiwi. The work has varied from supporting infrastructure, transport, education options and business enterprise. `In 2017 we need your help to continue our work and to help `the families of `Mata ``Mata look over the land and seas that are their heritage and responsibility.

Each year many people journey up to Mata Mata to learn, share experiences and to donate their labour and time to help ensure the community remains sustatainable. Batumbil has opted for a more meaningful relationship with outsiders who come to the community. She is against the approach where people pay to come in on a bus to have a superficial cultural immersion. The idea is for people to have a real experience and to see the community as it is - with all the difficulties as well as joys of a remote Aboriginal homeland. For many who come to Mata Mata the experience is life changing. If you donate to this project we would also like to invite you to come to Mata Mata to learn and work and be a part of the community for a couple of weeks each year.

See also Batumbil Burarrwaŋa - https://www.isx.org.au/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=52017 Activities - http://www.isx.org.au/projects/walking-yolngu-road-ii-2017-learning-secrets-mata-mata-and-surrounds alksi

See 2016 Activities -http://www.isx.org.au/files/files/projects/walking_the_yolngu_road_rrarrandarr_dry_season_walk_2016_small_0.pdf

https://www.workingpapers.com.au/papers/driving-6700-kilometres-primary-school

Our target in this crowdfunding project is to raise $10,000 toward the costs above. We have set our target at a minimum because we need every cent we can get to continue to do the work. There is never enough funds to cover our costs. Remaking the Pathway is also the name of the film in which Batumbil describes the oblibations of her family to look after Mata Mata Gi'kal and the surrounding Yolngu estates that proceed down the coast to Cape Wilberforce. Batumbil and her family are the only people who live continually on the lands. 

Our priority in 2017/18 is to create a stronger transport infrastructure at ``Mata Mata. `Over the last few years we have supported the community to buy three landcruisers which are currently serving the community for shopping and other logistical needs. Without cars it costs `$650 each way to journey to regional centres at Elcho `Island and Gove. Bush taxis often wont go to Mata Mata and they charge a similarly large amount of money. The roads to and from Mata Mata and Gi'kal can be very bad after cyclones and the wet season. 

The challenges of living in a remote homeland are enormous. Governments have cut funding for homelands and even questioned their existence. `It is our view that homelands are the healthiest place to learn and to develop enterprise. `Life is connected to sacred knowledge and ceremony. The world we believe needs homelands even more than homelands need the world.

Through a string of crowd funding campaigns we hope to continually support the homelands and enable families to live there permanently.