BA2840/82: Frances Kofod (left) recording Miriwoong language with elders David Newry and Buttons Jones (right), Kununurra, 3 May 2017

Summary

The photographer notes: On my recent trip to the East Kimberley I found myself living and working in the community of Kununurra with the Miriwoong & Gajirrabeng community who were the original inhabitants of this region. Over a two-month period I worked closely with the Mirima Dawang Woorlab-gerring Language and Culture Centre. Each day Peter Mac who is running the Language nest with a group of dedicated indigenous woman from the community head out to visit a number of Pre-schools, Primary schools and the Kununurra High School teaching students the Mirriwoong language through songs, visual picture and word association. It was so inspiring watching the children respond to these lessons in such a positive way especially at the primary schools who knew all of the songs off by heart. I also sat in on a number of meetings of the Knowledge Cycle as they discussed issues concerning the education and wellbeing of the Kununurra indigenous community, during these meetings I met Buttons Jones who is the head Miriwoong elder of the Kununurra community and Frances Kofod who was responsible for starting the knowledge centre.