Tennant Creek Reopens Major Cultural Hub After $10 Million Redevelopment
Quick Look
- Tennant Creek celebrated the grand reopening of the Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Cultural Centre after a $10 million redevelopment.
- Hundreds marched during NAIDOC Week to the hub, which aims to boost tourism and celebrate Warumungu culture.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Cultural Centre in Tennant Creek has undergone a $10 million, years-long redevelopment. It was first opened in 2003 and aims to celebrate Warumungu culture and boost tourism.
Like the spiky tail of a nyinkka, meaning "goanna" in Warumungu language, a long line of joyful NAIDOC marchers wove through the streets of Tennant Creek on Thursday to the grand reopening of a major cultural hub in the town of the same name.
Hundreds of people donned the colours of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags, carried banners with words of hope and celebration, and wore grins as they walked on Warumungu country, 500 kilometres north of Alice Springs on the Stuart Highway.
They made their way to the Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Cultural Centre for its official reopening after a $10 million, years-long redevelopment to make the site a cultural destination celebrating Warumungu culture.
It is hoped the hub, which was first opened in 2003, will bring back tourism to the town which has been beset with negative publicity in recent months.
Warumungu man and traditional owner Ross Jakamarra Williams, who has been a part of the gallery's redevelopment journey, said celebrating NAIDOC Week in Tennant Creek with the reopening of the hub was "fantastic".
He said the gallery was built with past elders to showcase Warumungu artefacts and storytelling so young people and schools could learn the history of Tennant Creek and Warumungu people.
"It's about educating the whole of the town and tourism, we want to make sure that tourists, when they pass through, they learn about not only the town itself, but learn about the Aboriginal culture," Mr Williams said.
After a traditional ceremony, Warumungu traditional owner Michael Jampin Jones cut the opening ribbon of the gallery, surrounded by young people and children, to a round of applause.
He said celebrating this year's NAIDOC theme, 50 Years of Deadly, with the gallery opening was bittersweet.
"It's a bit sad for me because a lot of old people that were here, who set up this cultural centre, are no longer with us, plus some of our friends who worked in this cultural centre have gone," he said.
"It's nice to see young people coming up, it's nice to see young people dancing, to keep the culture, because they are next generations.
Open Questions
- Will the redevelopment successfully attract tourists?
- What specific cultural programs will be offered?
