Aboriginal art and culture

Aboriginal art and culture provides a unique insight into the history of Karratha and the West Pilbara Coast of Western Australia (WA). The local Ngaluma and Yindibarndi people have called this region home for many generations and are acknowledged by Karratha Visitor Centre as the traditional landowners. Despite their tragic history, the local Aboriginal communities are working hard to re-establish their cultural and traditional links and create a positive future for their people.

Aboriginal art

The Jaburara Heritage Trail (near Karratha), Deep Gorge and Burrup Peninsula on the West Pilbara Coast region of WA are great places to view Aboriginal art and gain an understanding of Aboriginal culture and traditions. Over 40,000 rock engravings (petroglyphs) can be found here, many of them located on the Burrup Peninsular, which is recognised as the most prolific rock art site in the world and was listed by the Heritage Council of Western Australia in July 2007. Pilbara petroglyphs are also considered the earliest example of art in Australia.

Today, the Aboriginal artists of Karratha and the West Pilbara Coast of WA are nationally and internationally renowned for their exceptional work. Among them is the Yindi-barndi Aboriginal Art Group, a community-based workshop and gallery where everyone can experience Australian Aboriginal art and culture. You can purchase traditional artworks and artefacts produced by members of local Aboriginal communities in the historic Dalgety House at Roebourne. A wide selection of local artworks is also on sale at Karratha and Roebourne Visitor Centres.

The Dreaming, rituals and ceremonial life

Unlike other cultures, Aboriginal peoples did not build permanent structures or clear the earth and cultivate the land. Their spiritual beliefs and way of life were bound to the land, the sky and the sea. They had no need for monuments or constructed places of worship, their cathedrals, synagogues and mosques are the hills, rivers and plains themselves.

The Dreaming plays a vital role in Aboriginal culture. As well as forming the foundation of their spiritual belief, Dreaming stories provide essential information for day-to-day survival, mapping out the location of water, places to gather food, campsites and significant landscape features.

The landscape of WA’s West Pilbara Coast is embedded with evidence of the Dreaming and forms a ‘sacred geography’. Dreaming tracks criss-cross the region and pass through the lands of several Aboriginal groups, providing a connection between the physical world and the Dreaming. These tracks created vital links between tribes and formed the basis of shared ritual, marriage networks and totemic affiliation. They also served as trade routes.

Further Information about the Dreaming, rituals and ceremonial aspects of Aboriginal culture can be found on the Juluwarlu Aboriginal Group website.

The Jaburara tribe

At the heart of Western Australia’s (WA) West Pilbara Coast lies the land of the Jaburara tribe (pronounced "Yabura"; sometimes referred to as "Jabara"). Stretching from Dampier (west) to Wickham (east), with Karratha at its centre, the area features numerous ancient Aboriginal sites indicating a permanent or seasonal habitation. They include Aboriginal rock art (petroglyphs), stone quarries, artefact scatters, talu sites, shell middens and grinding areas. Sadly, the Jaburara tribe is now extinct, and we'll never know what many of their engravings mean.

Jaburara Heritage Trail

The Jaburara Heritage Trail is a 3.5 kilometre walk highlighting the Karratha district’s natural history and cultural heritage. In particular, it provides a fascinating insight into the traditional inhabitants of WA’s West Pilbara Coast, the Jaburara people. You should allow two to three hours if you're just walking the trail one way, but up to six hours if you're keen to explore the Aboriginal rock art and artefact scatters, take photographs and return to your starting point.

To attempt the full length of the trail you should be reasonably fit, as it covers rocky country with some steep climbs and descents. You are advised to carry at least 1.5 litres of water and some energy food with you. Use the usual heat and sun protection and enclosed footwear. Contact Karratha Visitor Centre for further information and a trail map.

Talu sites

Talu sites are a type of spiritual repository and are spread throughout the region. Each marks the location of a different mythical being and the site for special ceremonies related to that being. The talu site on the Jaburara Heritage Trail is related to the giant fruit-eating bat (flying fox), known as ‘Warramurrangka’. The trail follows part of the mythical path Warramurrangka took from the Burrup Peninsula to the Fortescue River during the Dreamtime.

Middens

These are most numerous on the West Pilbara coast of Western Australia (WA). They consist of piles of discarded sea shells and provide important clues to the dietary habits of early Aboriginal groups.

Aboriginal rock art

Aboriginal rock art (petroglyphs) can be found at countless sites throughout WA’s West Pilbara Coast and are among the earliest examples of art in Australia. The engraved motifs generally depict anthropomorphic figures, fauna, animal tracks and abstract symbols.

Stone structures

Stone walls, standing stones, stone circles and more complex arrangements can signify places of great importance to Aboriginal culture on WA’s West Pilbara Coast.

Ceremonial sites

These sites are where Aboriginal peoples practiced, or may continue to practice, traditional rites and ceremonies to reinforce their culture and their association with the land.

Burial sites

Burial sites are usually located in eroding sand dunes or creek banks. They are also in rock shelters, sometimes with associated artefacts.

Preserving Aboriginal sites

Aboriginal sites are unique and an irreplaceable cultural resource for all Australians. Please help preserve these places for future generations. Do not touch or mark the art or remove any stone or rock items, and leave the area free of rubbish.

Permits for Aboriginal land

A permit is required to access some roads that cross through Aboriginal land. Contact the Department of Aboriginal Affairs or Karratha Visitor Centre for further information.

There are many good books written in recent times about the lives and traditions of the region’s Aboriginal peoples. Copies of these publications and further information about Aboriginal art and culture on WA’s West Pilbara Coast can be obtained from Karratha or Roebourne visitor centres.

Some information presented in this website has been sourced, with permission, from the Shire of Roebourne website.