Storylines

Today Storylines shares iconic images of nineteenth century Noongar Binjareb leader Yaburgurt.

Yaburgurt Tondarup was born at Koolin-Yinnup, which was then renamed Halls Head by white settlers. His totem was Yabaruk Kooyading, which means ‘sea booming’ and is a sea totem. It is thought that as a child Yaburgurt was present at the Pinjarra Massacre in 1834, when Governor Stirling launched a military raid against the Binjareb people killing men, women and children.

Despite this traumatic event Yaburgurt was renowned to be friendly and helpful to white settlers in the region, particularly the Sutton family, advising them on the land and the seasons. “Winjan’s Camp” is also in Koolin-Yinnup and is commemorated with a plaque and artwork today in a beautiful wooded area in Mandurah.

Yaburgurt also spent time on Wadjemup after injuring another Aboriginal man Monang, spearing him in the leg. He became a more formal leader of the Binjareb people when his famous father Old Winjan or King Winjan died around 1884.

Later in his life he delivered mail between Perth and Bunbury. Yaburgurt himself passed away in March 1915 and his grave can be visited at Christ’s Church in Mandurah.

In 2015 to mark the centenary of his passing the local community led by Aboriginal Elders in partnership with the City of Mandurah, the Peel Development Commission and Royalties for Regions commissioned Noongar artist Peter Farmer and Little Rhino Designs to create a public artwork to commemorate this great man.

Aboriginal History WA (AHWA) will be visiting Geraldton from 21st June - 25th June 2020.

Come learn about AHWA services, Indigenous records and other resources containing valuable ancestral information for those researching their family history.

FREE event, to register your attendance please contact Duane Kelly via 9427 3473 or email [email protected]

Visit https://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/aboriginal-history to learn more

The Perth Centre for Photography in partnership with CAN, and the State Library of WA via Storylines are proud to present a unique collection of Aboriginal photographs taken by one of Australia's earliest photographers - the Mavis Phillips (nee Walley) Collection.

Through her box brownie camera Mavis captured the everyday moments of her community in Goomalling, Western Australia from the 1930s. Her photographs capture joy, spontaneity, pride and hope from the thriving wheatbelt Aboriginal community. The photos are extremely rare in that they capture daily life from a Noongar perspective.

Main Exhibition open: 15 May - 31 July Perth Centre for Photography King Street Art Centre
+
Satellite Exhibition: 21 May - 25 July The Nook at the State Library of Western Australia Perth Cultural Centre

If you would like to view the collection, more than 360 of these images have now been digitised and stored on the State Library’s Storylines database and can be accessed here. https://storylines.slwa.wa.gov.au/welcome