We protect, preserve and promote
Culture
Maintaining cultural connection and wellbeing by prioritising our ngurra, lore and kinship values.
Our culture is at the centre of everything. Through colonisation, historical racist policies and being dispossessed of our lands, we have fought to maintain the culture of our ancestors as given to us by creation spirit, Mingkala. As a result, some of our traditional ways of being have been eroded, and today, we are working to rebuild them.
Through our sister organisation Juluwarlu Group Aboriginal Corporation, the Yindjibarndi people celebrate and maintain Yindjibarndi culture through:
Media and archiving
Through our sister organisation Juluwarlu Group Aboriginal Corporation, the Yindjibarndi people celebrate and maintain Yindjibarndi culture. Juluwarlu was founded in 2000 by Lorraine Coppin and her partner Michael Woodley, and it has established a nationally-recognised archive that has preserved vast amounts of Yindjibarndi cultural recordings and heritage materials. Yindjibarndi Nation is also supporting Juluwarlu to establish an App that will make Yindjibarndi culture accessible to community members and anyone who wants to learn about our culture.
Cultural Performances
In 2019 Juluwarlu created a profoundly important showcase of Yindjibarndi creation stories using large-scale puppetry and Yindjibarndi-led storytelling. The production, called Ngurra Nyujunggamu (When the World Was Soft), masterfully weaves stories of how the world came to be. These are our Creation Stories and important life lessons, told by Yindjibarndi people. Ngurra Nyujunggamu headlined the Red Earth Arts Festival in 2023 and is on track to be taken around Australia. A book based on the production is also being developed. The Yindjibarndi group has supported the development of this production.
On country access
Our vision is for all Yindjibarndi people to have access to cultural experiences and connection on country. Through vehicle provision, cultural camps and time spent with knowledge holders on Ngurra, we are working to ensure all Yindjibarndi feel a strong sense of identity and connection into the future.
