Language and Culture Work

Madjulla has recently completed a comprehensive list of Nyikina Language materials.  This material will be published online and available through our website to inform the public and increase access to materials held in different repositories.   

Nyikina Cultural App ­ - Synopsis

In consultation with key Nyikina Community representatives the Nyikina Cultural App will enable:

• Control of the design and development of culturally appropriate digital resources;
• Mobile access on Android and Apple OS devices to digital material in multiple formats;
• Updates to existing data in planned research, design and development increments;
• Flexibility with service level agreements to include additional development teams.

The mobile app is a vital resource for the Nyikina Community as there are many cases of where online access to culturally appropriate material is inaccessible due to the variations of GSM coverage or online access to the internet. It is envisaged that this app will be accessible offline and that upgrades to content will occur when the device has been synced with the hosted mobile application data repository service.

Nyikina Cultural Database ­- Synopsis

In consultation with key Nyikina Community representatives the Nyikina Cultural Database will provide Madjulla Inc and the wider Nyikina Community with a secure hosted data repository for culturally sensitive digital materials.

Madjulla Inc has identified that there is an array of digital archives and current cultural material that is accessed on a daily level from a variety of local sources including short films, audio recordings, reports, documents and photos in a variety of formats.A cultural database would extend the capabilities and access for other to material which is currently distributed via a range of methods.

The service features secure, dedicated https:// access with advanced system administration and user permissions control, server set­up (full brand, layout, metadata ingest and collection creations) as well as nightly server snapshots (full backups, restore, retrieve to item level) and has fully minted DOI’s ­ full distribution of data by open access control using the DSpace data repository software.

The NCD will enable anyone who has been registered on the system to gain access to, contribute, update, download and share content according to the permissions they have been assigned by item, collection or community level within the system.

Touring Again, Globally!

We are currently in the developmental phase working with Gwen Knox of Big Mama Production following our successful tour of France in 2015. The performance was enjoyed by everyone who attended and we have been invited back to perform a new and extended version of the show for the 2017 festival. There is the option to take it to the festival of Perth in 2018 and tour it though out Europe. This is a huge commendation to Kimberley artists and in particular Kimberley Indigenous performers. The new performance will compare two stories about how landforms were made along two rivers; the Mardoowarra (Fitzroy) in Western Australia and the Meuse in France. It will include a variety of puppets, dance and acrobatics performed to original music written by Gwen Knox and Mark Coles Smith.

Research

Madjulla staff continue to building innovative research partnerships nationally and internationally.  

A partnership with the Faculty of Social, Human and Mathematical Sciences University of Southampton in the United Kingdom has been funded to bring researchers to the Kimberley for a “Talking Circle” to plan and develop a Strategic Interdisciplinary Research Project to Explore Carbon and Climate change and adaption combing the complimentary knowledge systems with traditional ecological knowledge for world’s better practice.  The Talking Circle is planned for early 2017.

Dr Anne Poelina is the Team Leader for a Kimberley Case Study developed through the Fonds Pacific (French Australian and Pacific Island Nations) Partnership. The project is delivered through the Australian National University in Canberra. The project champions the need to increase international attention focused on developing effective ways to improve integrated approaches to land and water management. The focus aims to identify key issues and opportunities via a scoping project based on number of case studies in the Pacific.

As part of this project Dr Poelina will be traveling to Fiji at the end of June to share her learnings from the Kimberley, with team members working across Pacific Island Nations.

Water Resources of The Mardoowarra

A report has been published by Associate Professor Ryan Vogwill, University of Western Australia which can now be downloaded as a PDF.

Download the report - PDF [ 1.4 MBs ]