Culture

Aboriginal Law and Song Cycle

The Lurujarri Heritage Trail follows part of a traditional Aboriginal Song Cycle which originated from the Dreamtime Ancestral Beings who are believed to have created the landscape, humans, animals and plants, all of which are interconnected by the same life spirit.

Lurujarri, meaning coastal dunes, is the Aboriginal name that generally describes this  stretch of country (from Broome to Minarriny, about 90kms to the north of Broome) while the red pindan cliffs are known as Yanijarri.

For at least the last 6,000 years, that the coastline has been at the level it is today, Indigenous mob have walked, foraged and camped along this trail.

The Lurujarri Heritage Trail

The Goolarabooloo people have not only been protecting this Song Cycle (also known as a Song Line) but also encouraging non-Aboriginal people to learn more about Aboriginal culture by walking the Lurujarri Heritage Trail with them. The Heritage Trail was initiated by Paddy Roe in 1987.

Law Boss Phillip Roe painting up at Walmadan.
Photo: Julia Rau

The Dreamtime Beings set patterns for all their creations to follow. Known as the Law, these are encoded in the Song Cycle, and ceremonially passed from one generation to the next. The Song Cycle is used to convey, from one generation to another, a detailed description of the land and how it has been shaped. These songs are still sung today.

The proposed gas processing refinery at Walmadan (James Price Point) would mean the breaking of, and destruction of, an incredibly important Song Cycle. One that has been protected and kept alive from its beginning until now.

Blocking the road to Woodside’s machinery with a giant banner and 2 people ‘locked-on’ to a cement filled barrel. Photo: Damian Kelly

Please respect the country at all times. Together lets make sure that future generations are given the same opportunity to participate in the traditional Law and Culture that is being practiced today.