Capturing Noongar Cultural Knowledge with Gnaala Karla Booja (GKB) Aboriginal Corporation
Gnaala Karla Booja (GKB) Aboriginal Corporation is one of six Aboriginal corporations established under the South West Native Title Settlement, the largest native title settlement in Australian history. The Gnaala Karla Boodja region is home to many different Noongar tribes; Binjareb/Pinjarup, Wilman, Ganeang, and Wardandi, and covers an expanse of 30424.531 sq km. GKB Aboriginal Corporation plays a pivotal role in looking after the Noongar people in this area, building capacity, passing on knowledge, and caring for Country and people.
Read GKBs 2025 - 2028 Strategic Plan
In late 2024, GKB reached out to Winyama to coordinate a cultural mapping project, the first of its kind for the organisation. The purpose of this project was to document the biographies and knowledge of Aboriginal Elders across the region. Data captured ranged from modern expressions of culture, cultural practices, significant sites, traditional place names and information about resources in the area. This data was placed in an interactive digital archive, a tool that will be foundational to many of their future projects.
“From my understanding and my own observation, it is the only tool that is recording anything of Aboriginal culture today, in 2025, not 1825. It is the most modern of all.”
The Knowledge Capturing Process
The Winyama team conducted multiple field trips, interviewing 20 pre-selected GKB members. These Knowledge Holders were chosen by Gnaala Karla Booja based on age and seniority within the community. The inclusive and flexible nature of Winyama’s direct-to-digital cultural mapping methodology allows for participation regardless of physical ability, which lends itself to more data capture with Elders who might otherwise not be able to go out in the field. In Google Earth Pro, Elders were able to virtually visit Country, helping ground their storytelling and knowledge sharing, as well as evoking forgotten memories for places that hadn’t been visited in some time. The immersive 3D environment of Google Earth Pro enhances this experience by offering a multi-sensory understanding of the landscape. Interviews were led by a senior team member, with support from Winyama’s Jimbu (interns), providing a culturally rewarding space for capacity building within our own organisation. Ken Ninyette, GKB's Cultural Heritage Officer and project contributor, spoke to the easy nature of working with Winyama during the interview process, “it almost felt like I was part of the team.”
Ken Ninyette, during a cultural mapping interview.
“I’ve experienced and watched the senior Elders, the old people, they do experience some sadness during the interviews, but at the end of it, they seem to be so fresh, so invigorated, having someone, having a program that’s been able to support them recall their knowledge. So it’s been uplifting, I think that’s really the beginning of the new path that we need to tread.”
Keeping the Indigenous Voice
A core principle of Winyama’s cultural mapping process is ensuring that knowledge captured remains connected to the Knowledge Holder who shares it, and that they retain full sovereignty over that information, always. While Winyama processes the data, categorising it by type, adding in associations and Traditional Knowledge labels, we also edit and timestamp the interviews, linking each data point to the data source. This means that the original context will always be available to anyone who has access to GKB’s cultural mapping tool.
Would you like to know more about our cultural mapping methodology? Download our Direct-to-Digital Information Sheet.
What’s Next for GKB's Cultural Mapping?
The cultural mapping project was foundational to GKB realising their strategic vision and continues to play an important role in preserving cultural data to ensure it isn’t lost. Ken Ninyette, already looking ahead, is excited by the prospect of using the data, “I would rather not store the data. I would rather use it. Develop it into an iconic program. Imagine you are camping out under the stars, and someone pulls out their mobile and has this information in front of them. All your senses will double. You’ll wake up the next day and walk with a completely different vision and understanding.”
“People walk the Bib track because they love it. But they actually love nothing because they do nothing but walk. You should be able to get so much knowledge from Perth to Albany, on that Bib track. You’d feel so enriched.”
Inspired to start your own cultural mapping project? Our team would love to support you. Get in touch to start the conversation.