Our
Projects
Our projects are grounded in Barkindji culture, Country and community.
Wontanella develops and participates in projects that strengthen living culture, continue and share knowledge, and create opportunities for Barkindji people to tell our own stories in our own ways.
We bring cultural knowledge and practice together with contemporary approaches to storytelling, interpretation and cultural work. Where appropriate, we work with Elders, community, cultural knowledge holders and project partners, keeping Barkindji voices and cultural authority at the centre.
Whether continuing cultural practice, preserving knowledge or creating resources for future generations, our purpose remains the same: keeping culture strong and ensuring Barkindji people shape how our culture, stories and Country are represented.
Pilpalaana Thari — The Tree That Was Scarred
Continuing culture and creating heritage for future generations.
Pilpalaana Thari brought Barkindji people together at Kinchega to culturally scar a new canoe tree, with the support of Barkindji Elders and in collaboration with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. The cultural process was filmed to create a contemporary record of the knowledge and practice involved.
Rather than viewing scarred trees only as evidence of the past, this project demonstrates that Barkindji culture is living and continuing. The tree and its story create cultural heritage that future generations will inherit, while providing an opportunity for visitors to understand the practice through Barkindji perspectives.
Ngunnhu Kiira, Ngunnhu Weimpitya
Stories of Country and People
Barkindji stories, told by Barkindji people.
Ngunnhu Kiira, Ngunnhu Weimpitya is a Wontanella storytelling project recording Barkindji people speaking about their memories, experiences and personal connections to Country.
Through film, the project creates a record of voices and stories that might otherwise be lost over time, while allowing people to speak for themselves and share knowledge from their own perspectives.
At its heart is a simple principle: our stories should not only be interpreted or retold by others. Barkindji people should have opportunities to record our own histories, experiences and relationships with Country for present and future generations.
Barkindji Edible & Medicinal Plants
Community Field Guide
Sharing knowledge through an accessible community resource.
The Barkindji Edible & Medicinal Plants: Community Field Guide was developed and published by Wontanella to provide an accessible introduction to Barkindji plant knowledge and the cultural relationships between people, plants and Country.
Available in printed, PDF and eBook formats, the guide extends cultural education beyond our face-to-face experiences and allows the resource to reach schools, organisations, visitors and community.
Wontanella has also gifted copies to schools throughout the region, helping make Barkindji knowledge more accessible to local students and educators while creating a cultural resource that can continue to be used into the future.
