The Noongar Seasons: Nature in Transition exhibition highlights the Shire of Manjimup’s location within the Karri Karrak area of the Noongar Nation. It celebrates the area’s links to the original First Nations people who traded in this area dating back over 45,000 years.
As part of an art competition, Noongar artists were invited to submit a painting depicting one of the six Noongar seasons - Birak, Bunuru, Djeran, Makuru, Djilba and Kambarang - specifically reflecting the seasonal changes in our Karri Karrak area. Some 18 original works were received reflecting both traditional and contemporary artistic styles.
Six winning works (one for each season) were selected for printing and exhibiting on fixed street banner frames in the main street of Manjimup in the second half of 2023. In addition, all of the works received are featured in The Noongar Seasons: Nature in Transition exhibition.
The Bibbulmun and Wadandi People of this Karri Karrak region have a long history of living off the resources of the Karri and Jarrah forests of the area. Seasonal changes impacted everyday life - the flowering of different plants and trees, reptiles hibernating or shedding their skin, the arrival of cooler breezes all drove changes in diet, location and other activities.
The Noongar Seasons project tells the story of these seasonal changes and their impact on the lives of local Aboriginal people through the most vibrant of mediums, art. Shire President, Paul Omodei, said “the exhibition demonstrates First Nations people’s deep and ongoing connection, both physical and spiritual, to the land and waters and provides a wider understanding of Aboriginal culture particularly as it pertains to this region”.
The project was made possible thanks to a generous grant from the Federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications’ Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support program.
The Noongar Seasons exhibition will be on display at the Manjimup Art Gallery from 1 June to 8 July 2023.
