The Cultural Mapping Program

The Cultural Mapping Program is the result of a community decision to make a record of stories, dances and songs. These have been the effective records of Nyikina-Mangala history, language and culture, and will now be maintained and expanded instead of facing an uncertain future.

Johnene Watson began working on the Cultural Mapping project in 1999 and Bobbette Albert joined her a couple of years later. Since then many others have contributed and good progress has been made in many areas. The whole community has a sense of pride in the maintenance of these ancient traditions into the 21st Century and now a new generation is following in their footsteps.
This sense of responsibility to younger generations will ensure that a proper education will always be available to them, something which was just a dream a few decades ago.
The visitor to Jarlmadangah can see that the culture, the many local languages, the age old traditions, and the more recent, and very significant, history of the area have been kept alive in this community.
Cultural issues flow to many areas, such as the school where Elders help the teachers to understand how children can be educated in a modern way while stll observing customs such as the rules of skin-groups and their relationships in day to day life. Also in the Cultural Centre where the interest of visitors in buying products of the community has given a new significance to these ancient crafts, and encouraged the community to take in a broader exchange with the Australian and international communities.