Waramungu elders from the Wilya Janta (Standing Strong) housing collaboration are raising funds for two demonstration homes to be built in Tennant Creek. The houses will be solar-powered, well-insulated and water efficient.

These will be the first-ever display homes for First Nations people in the Northern Territory.

Wilya Janta co-founder and Warumungu elder Norman Frank Jupurrurla and his family have collaborated with supporter Dr Simon Quilty to design the first demonstration home, which will be constructed with bricks made locally from anthill and spinifex.

The will include features that accommodate cultural needs, such as shaded outdoor kitchens, places to sleep outdoors to catch the breeze, and windows and doors that are designed to allow for maximum airflow in all conditions.

"We want a house we can design as we want, to suit our environment and our culture," says Patricia Frank Narrurlu, a Warumungu elder.

Wilya Janta is seeking philanthropic support to build the first demonstration homes.

Patricia and other Waramungu elders are raising funds through a special online auction of art, including carved weaponry and paintings by several artists from the Tennant Creek Brio collective. 

To support this great initiative for better housing in the bush, place your bid here.

Wilya Janta is also assisted by Original Power, a First Nations community organisation that assisted Norman Frank Jupurrurla to install the first rooftop solar system on social housing in the territory that was integrated with a pre-paid meter.

Photo: Norman Frank Jupurrurla and his wife Serena Morton Napanangka look over plans for the home.

Parts of this story come from an article that first appeared in The Age.