Locals and visitors to the Manjimup area will be enjoying the explosion of colour in our forested areas, heralding the arrival of Djilba (First Spring). Images of this vibrant season in our Karri Karrak area and the five that follow will be showcased on six street banners in the Manjimup main street from October.
The banners form part of the The Noongar Seasons: Nature in Transition project, a collaboration between the Shire’s Reconciliation Action Plan Advisory Committee and the Manjimup Art Gallery. The project highlights the area’s links to the original First Nations people who traded in this region dating back over 45,000 years.
Consisting of various parts, the project included an an art competition that invited Noongar artists to submit a painting depicting one of the six Noongar seasons - Kambarang Birak, Bunuru, Djeran, Makuru and Djilba - specifically depicting the seasonal changes in our Karri Karrak area. From the 18 original works received, six winning works (one for each season) were selected and will feature on the fixed street banner frames in Giblett Street.
The Bibbulmun and Wadandi People of this Karri Karrak region have a long history of living sustainably on the resources available in different seasons in the area. Each season lasts for two full moons and is signified by changes in nature including local plants and animals and the weather. 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. It celebrates First Nation 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.
This Noongar Seasons – Nature in Transitionproject 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.
