The Yiriman Project
Connecting young people, Elders and Country.
Building stories in young people
Our Story
The Yiriman Project began in 2000 and was first put into practice here at Jarlmadangah Burru. It was conceived and developed by Elders from four Kimberley language groups — Nyikina, Mangala, Karajarri and Walmajarri — with a simple aim: to build stories in young people.
These four groups share cultural, language, kinship and geographic ties across a vast stretch of Country, reaching from the coast south of Broome inland to the desert country south and east of Fitzroy Crossing.
Yiriman grew from the Elders’ concern for young people facing serious challenges, including self-harm, substance misuse and the loss of cultural identity. The Elders believed that Culture and Country have the power to heal, and that time away from negative influences, in the care of older generations, could help young people reconnect.
Learning on Country
On-Country Activities
Elders take young people out to remote and culturally significant places, travelling on foot, by camel or by vehicle. Time on Country brings together many kinds of learning:
Language and story — speaking and learning in language, visiting ancestral places and sharing stories passed down through generations.
Bush skills — tracking, hunting, finding and preparing bush tucker, and learning about bush medicine.
Culture and craft — traditional song and dance, and making artefacts such as boomerangs, jewellery and baskets.
Caring for Country — working alongside ranger groups on fire management and land care.
Specific places, stories and cultural material are shared only with appropriate permission.
Generations together
Elders and Young People
Yiriman trips create a safe space for young people to build relationships with family, Elders and Country, and for decisions to be made in culturally appropriate ways. Healing comes from within the Culture itself, guided by the Elders.
The Elders describe Yiriman as looking after young people, looking after old people and looking after Country, all at the same time.
Through this reconnection, young people gain a stronger sense of identity, belonging and resilience — positive stories they carry back to their towns and communities.
Across the region
Trips and Projects
Over the years Yiriman has run trips and workshops across the Kimberley in partnership with ranger groups, art centres, women’s centres and land councils. Examples include:
Back-to-Country trips for Jarlmadangah School students and their families.
Women’s bush medicine workshops, and seed-collecting, jewellery, basket-making and natural plant-dyeing workshops with Walmajarri and Karajarri women.
Fire walks and caring-for-Country trips with Gooniyandi, Karajarri, Paruku and Ngurrara rangers, and trips along the Canning Stock Route.
Sharing Yiriman’s approach at regional conferences on how culture, language and time on Country support young people’s wellbeing.
Milestones
History and Achievements
2000 — Elders from the Nyikina, Mangala, Karajarri and Walmajarri language groups establish Yiriman, first putting it into practice at Jarlmadangah Burru.
2012 — Yiriman wins Reconciliation Australia’s Indigenous Governance Award for an outstanding non-incorporated initiative or project. The judges highlighted the strong ownership of the project by Elders and described it as a model that could work across the Kimberley and beyond.
2014 — The Yiriman Cross Country Walk: a 30-day journey on foot from the desert to the sea, across Walmajarri, Nyikina, Mangala and Karajarri Country, conceived and directed by Yiriman’s Elders.
Today — Yiriman has been auspiced by the Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre (KALACC) and based in Fitzroy Crossing, while keeping its own Elder-led governance.
Working together
Partners
Yiriman’s work has been made possible through many partnerships, including with Jarlmadangah Burru Aboriginal Corporation, Jarlmadangah School, the Kimberley Land Council, the Nyikina Mangala, Karajarri, Ngurrara, Paruku and Gooniyandi ranger groups, Ngurra Arts Centre, Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre, Mangkaja Arts, Derby Aboriginal Health Service and Murdoch University.
Funding support has come from organisations including Lotterywest, the John T. Reid Charitable Trusts and several Australian Government departments.
Photographs
Gallery
Our community. Our Country. Our future.
Connect with Jarlmadangah Burru
For community enquiries and information about our projects, please get in touch.