Sandalwood has long been prized for its rich fragrance and therapeutic benefits, finding its place in aromatherapy, perfumes, skincare and traditional medicine. Valued for its calming, antiseptic and anti-
inflammatory properties, demand for this precious wood has steadily grown. Leaders in the sandalwood industry, such as Clinton Farmer, co-owner of Dutjahn Sandalwood Oils, are reshaping the industry by using more sustainable and ethical approaches, educating other harvesters and ensuring sandalwood can be protected for generations to come. Clinton credits the success of his family business to their love for God and for the country he grew up on.
Clinton came from very humble beginnings, with his grandparents living a traditional, nomadic lifestyle. They are from the Muntjiltjarra people, part of the Martu Nation, who reside where four deserts meet: the Gibson Desert, Great Sandy Desert, Little Sandy Desert and Great Victoria Desert—the heart of Western Australia. His family grew up in some of the harshest conditions and learned to find water in the desert and use natural medicines, such as sandalwood, to help them survive. The older generations passed down knowledge of Country, allowing his tribe to continue living in such harsh conditions.
Mum and Dad taught me to never lose sight of God, to always put Him first.
In the late 1940s, the old people moved south-west and lived and worked on stations until they settled in Wiluna, where the Seventh-day Adventist Church had set up a mission. It was here that the family learned about the Bible. The number three is very special to Indigenous people. Clinton explained: “Our old people believed that out of the number three everything came into existence.” That is why, when they heard the Creation story* from the Bible, they felt a connection.
Jorna, Clinton’s mum, was born in north-east Wiluna, while his dad, Kenneth, was born in the Gibson Desert. His parents were educated at Karalundi Mission, and Kenneth remained there as a farmer, earning the family the surname Farmer, while Jorna returned to Wiluna Mission as a teacher’s aide.
ends and new beginnings
When the Wiluna and Karalundi missions closed in 1974, those who were left struggled to leave. This spurred Kenneth to do something that would help those left behind find employment and care for the Country that was close to his heart. In 1977, the year Clinton was born, his father applied for his licence to harvest sandalwood in Wiluna.
“[My dad] could see the danger of our people going back to their cultural lands, going back to drinking, so he wanted to create employment on Country.”
Sandalwood holds a special place in Indigenous culture and has been used for thousands of years for medicinal and cultural purposes, including helping make the rain go away with a prayer and song, and helping people clear their minds during smoking ceremonies so they can make important decisions. In harvesting sandalwood, Kenneth was taking something used by his people for many generations and using it as a symbol of strength and unity and to look after Country.
Clinton has three siblings: an older brother, who tragically died in a tractor accident when Clinton was a child, an older sister, Tiani, and a younger sister, Kendra, named after her father. Through it all, his parents continued to follow the Bible and taught their children about God, even if it meant being shunned.
“If you don’t follow the culture, you get put down. Our people are strong desert people, part of a strong cultural line. My grandfather was a leader, but my mum and dad chose to follow God and that’s why when I grew up, I wanted to contribute and follow that line by being faithful and following God.”
This is one of the reasons Clinton became one of the first students to attend Mamarapha College, an Indigenous institution teaching students about God and health. Clinton studied Indigenous ministry, building on the foundation his parents had laid during his upbringing. The knowledge he gained about God and His love has continued to shape his life today.
the business expands
After Kenneth harvested his first sandalwood tree, the business grew steadily, expanding its reach, and partnering with other harvesters while creating opportunities for Indigenous communities to learn and work alongside them. Having spent 30 years learning from his father, Clinton stepped into leadership of the family business after his father died in 2010. In 2017, he co-founded Dutjahn Sandalwood Oils. Dutjahn means sandalwood in the Muntjiltjarra tribal language.
“The way we do things and how we harvest, everything is done sustainably. We make as low impact as possible to Country, so we do not disturb the ecosystem and environment.”
Government regulations require harvesters to leave at least 10 per cent of sandalwood trees standing. However, Dutjahn Sandalwood Oils often exceeds these requirements, sometimes leaving 30, 40 or even up to 50 per cent as part of its commitment to caring for the land.
“My dad taught me that we have to be sustainable. To not be greedy, do things according to our custom and that is to take care of Country so that it’s there for the future; you don’t need to take too much.
“When you take something, you put it back, so when we harvest, we put the seeds back and do enrichment planting where we plant it next to a host tree. We not only look at the surface but at how the root system is connected and which tree to harvest.”
In 2020, they created the K Farmer Dutjahn Foundation (KFDF), whose mission is to create strong communities by focusing on youth mentorship and custodian succession, teaching the next generation how to farm and making sure their family legacy stays strong. The foundation has supported digital skills by funding new laptops, virtual-reality headsets and iPads at the Wiluna Community School and Youth Centre. They are in the process of setting up a Martu-led cultural centre in Wiluna to highlight the work of local artists and teach people about Martu culture.
giving back
The foundation is supported by business partners such as Pura, which has committed a percentage of profits from its new fragrance collection to the foundation to support young people in the community. Key team members from Pura visited the area to help them understand Martu culture and build partnerships. Other business partners are also committed to returning profits to the foundation to support the community, ensuring they are not just taking sandalwood to make products but giving back to Indigenous people.
Part of empowering people in the Wiluna community is returning to Country. This was important to Kenneth, even before technology and drugs became significant pressures, but it is even more important now. The foundation aims to bring people back to nature, where they can get away from temptations and back to the land. As they are taught how to harvest and become rangers, they are not only healing the land but also themselves.
Dutjahn Sandalwood Oils has taken something precious to Indigenous people and culture to the world stage, with its oils being sold to some of the world’s leading fragrance houses. In 2019, it won the United Nations Equator Prize for its innovative, nature-based solutions for sustainable harvesting, honouring traditional knowledge and cultural practices and ensuring local Indigenous harvesters benefit from the business.
Where some companies harvest young trees and focus on quantity rather than quality, Dutjahn Sandalwood Oils takes care to invest time and effort back into its trees, meaning it has some of the world’s oldest sandalwood trees, which produce some of the best oils in the world.
“When the sandalwood trees [are] planted in the correct environment they are stressed, as it is in the desert, and this produces a strong scented oil with excellent quality.”
Clinton may have had humble beginnings, growing up in a small camp on the edge of the desert, but his work has taken him all over the world, including to Nice, France, for the World Perfume Congress, Salt Lake City, Utah, with the Pura fragrance team and his partner, Lisa, for the launch of their collaborative diffuser range, and New York City, NY for the United Nations Equator Prize award.
Before this interview, Clinton had just finished giving a presentation with his business partners to the Western Australian government. Through the hard work of the KFDF, the Western Australian government and the Aboriginal Sandalwood Alliance, the government is preparing to hand back the whole industry to the Traditional Owners, meaning family groups will have access to sandalwood on their traditional land. Although the Farmer family has worked hard over the past 50 years, Clinton credits God for their success.
“From the beginning, Dad put God first. He was part of the church and doing’s God work by sharing Him with others. When I take the family back to Country, we take the Sabbath off [from work] and have morning and evening worship. I always put God first in everything we do, just like I was taught.”
Those who live on Country may not be Christian, but they respect Clinton and participate in reading the Bible, singing and even dressing up for church. They can see how God has worked in the lives of Clinton and his family and how this has benefitted the wider community.
“It’s been an amazing journey, but when you put God first it shows how God will bless you.”
In the Bible, sandalwood was referred to as almug or aloes. It was a valuable, exotic wood imported from distant lands, and Clinton feels honoured to be working with sandalwood, still precious and valuable, and treating it with love and care.
The sandalwood business can be tough when you come up against government legislation, competitors and even unrest among Indigenous people, but though it is difficult, Clinton knows this is where God wants him to be.
“Mum and Dad taught me to never lose sight of God, to always put Him first. Whatever challenges we face in life, you come through it by putting God first. You will become stronger and He will give you strength.”
*In the Genesis Creation story, God is described as three-in-one: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
