A Digital Archive for Future Generations. Cultural Mapping With Karri Karrak
Karri Karrak Aboriginal Corporation is the regional corporation for the South West Boojarah region and the Noongar Cultural Authority for the South West Boojarah Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUAs) area. The region spans 10,085 square kilometres and represents the Wardandi, Bibulmun/Piblemen, and Kaneang Noongar language groups. In September 2023, Karri Karrak engaged Winyama for a cultural mapping project with a focus on capturing oral histories, cultural practices, traditional land use, and significant sites.
Pictured from Left to Right: Gwen Gray (Heritage Coordinator, Karri Karrak), Andrew Dowding (Winyama, and Yukio Chaplin (Winyama)
Our Digital Solution
Over several months, Winyama conducted multiple trips to Karri Karrak headquarters, engaging directly with 30 of their nominated Elders and Knowledge Holders. Through these engagements, Winyama recorded valuable cultural data, which was then consolidated and presented back to the organisation in a digital archive. In addition, individualised maps were provided to each of the Elders participating in the project as key Knowledge Holders. The archive is designed to be a living, digital resource that safeguards and honours the deep cultural and historical knowledge of Country and people of the South West Boojarah region.
“This project will preserve and celebrate Noongar heritage in all its forms - tangible and intangible. Creating not just a map; but a living, digital archive to guide future generations in their custodianship of Country, while providing valuable insights for land management and cultural preservation initiatives.”
Stephen van Leeuwen, Chair of the Karri Karrak Aboriginal Corporation
The Benefits
By documenting both tangible and intangible cultural elements, the project ensures that Noongar heritage is preserved for future generations.
Cultural mapping is a community engagement tool that facilitates and encourages Indigenous ways of working. The process of our direct-to-digital methodology encourages intergenerational knowledge sharing and storytelling.
The digital archive serves as an educational and informative tool for staff and community members.
Learn more about the project on the National Indigenous Times (NIT) website.
Winyama is passionate about empowering Indigenous organisations to be the custodians of their cultural data. If you’d like to find out more about our cultural mapping services, get in touch.