Indigenous Elders' Oral Histories Form Basis of New WA Exhibition

For Menang elder Carol Pettersen, the story of Albany-Kinjarling, Western Australia's first colonial settlement which marks its bicentenary this year, is best told through the spoken word.

"The European occupation is minute compared to the length and space of time our people have been there," said Aunty Carol, whose oral history, and that of six other Menang-Noongar elders, forms the basis of a new exhibition that opened at the WA State Library on May 18.

"Our language is not told through written word, it's told through stories.

"It's every day, it's the animals, the birds, the clouds and the weather.

The innovative exhibition showcases six oral histories from Indigenous elders, combining them with artificial intelligence-powered modelling of what pre-colonial Albany might have looked like.

Setting an example

The exhibition was curated by Menang woman Denien Toomath, who described it as an ode to those who came before her.

"It's kind of a love letter to my grandmother and to my elders and the generations of the Noongar people who have carried culture and story and knowledge, even through this enormous change and disruption," she said.

The oral histories featured in the exhibition also help to shed light on a history of Albany that was not well documented or showcased, Ms Toomath added.

"We had to research the collection that the State Library has and also the gaps."

"Historically, we as Aboriginal people have become a research subject in a lot of institutions.

"By acknowledging those gaps, we were able to work towards getting these oral histories."

Ms Pettersen hoped the exhibition would serve as an example of how to better represent historical milestones, especially with Perth-Boorloo's bicentenary coming up in 2029.

"What the Albany 2026 commemorative bicentenary has opened up for us is the theme of stories," she said.

"It's a matter of understanding and working together to make the world a better place."

Completing the jigsaw puzzle

For State Librarian Catherine Clark, the bicentenary project was an opportunity to deepen records and ensure they are "genuinely representative".

"Historical collecting 140 years ago did not preference the collecting of voices from Aboriginal people so that is certainly one of the reasons we are focused on it now," she said.

"[Menang voices] are a significant part of the state and their heritage, and their stories can be quite different to the stories of other people, which is one of the major reasons we would like to collect them."

Elder Lester Coyne, who features in the exhibition, said the project helped to deepen the understanding of the past.

[PROXY Lester Coyne]

"There were gaps, we're often talking to ourselves or to community meetings but not taking it any further, as we've done today," he said.

Kinjarling Djinnang Ngalak | Country Sees Us is on display at the State Library until April 4, 2027.