Pilbara dreamtime story comes to life

Water Corporation has partnered with two Roebourne corporations passionate about preserving Aboriginal culture and sharing traditional Aboriginal stories to tell the Yindjibarndi dreamtime story of the great rainbow sea serpent, the Barrimirndi.

The story, told through a short animation with Juluwarlu Group and Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation, explains how the Barrimirndi and freshwater collided with the sea to form the Fortescue River.

Water Corporation worked with the Yindjibarndi people, some of the traditional owners of the Harding River Dam and Millstream areas, to tell the story with Yindjibarndi Elder Middleton Cheedy narrating the short clip.

The vibrant and illustrative animation also features artworks from talented Juluwarlu artists.

Water Corporation North West Regional Manager Rino Trolio said the animated video, fittingly released today during National Water Week, reinforced just how precious water was for all living things.

“It is a privilege to partner with the Yindjibarndi people to tell this cultural dreamtime story about water as a precious resource for all,” Mr Trolio said.

“This year’s National Water Week theme is ‘It’s time to change the world’ – we hope this video inspires the local community to continue to make waterwise choices to ensure the world is a better place, not only for today, but for generations to come.”

Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation Chief Executive Officer Michael Woodley said he was proud of what had been achieved through everyone coming together with the story highlighting the important value of water in the local community.

“We’ve been documenting our Yindjibarndi culture with the elders for a long time and it’s projects like these that allow our traditional stories to be preserved and shared with future generations,” Mr Woodley said.

“The story of the Birrimirndi helps to educate the local community about the shared responsibility of protecting water and caring for our environment.”

The video will be showcased at the new Ganalili Centre in Roebourne as part of the cultural displays as well as shared with schools and online.

To view the full video, visit https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=770393110056388