Pilbara Traditional Owners Record Stories for Future Generations

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Photo: Toby Smirke with FTI film crew on Jurruru country

Earlier this month, Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation (YMAC) spent time on country with Traditional Owners from the Pilbara region of Western Australia as part of an initiative to record stories about Australia’s unique Aboriginal cultural heritage. 

Indigenous Community Stories (ICS), run by FTI in partnership with Rio Tinto, ScreenWest, Leighton and Ngarda Civil and Mining, aims to digitally archive one hundred West Australian Indigenous stories on film for future generations to view over the next century and beyond. 

In the first of these stories, Kariyarra elder Irene Roberts talks about growing up around Abydos and Kangan stations, as well as her life in the Yandeyarra community. The second story, told by Jurruru elder Toby Smirke, focuses on the working life of Aboriginal people on pastoral stations, his family, and Jurruru connection to country. 

Mr Smirke said that he enjoyed making the film. ‘By the end of it I was happy with how it worked out, and I think it was all done right’, he said.

These projects follow on from another ICS project that YMAC supported in February about Geraldton-based artist and writer, Charmaine Green.

Click here to read about Charmaine's Indigenous Community Story.

For more information on the Indigenous Community Stories project, visit https://www.fti.asn.au/make/icstories