Aboriginal culture takes centre-stage as the Pilbara’s gorge-ous heart comes alive for Karijini Experience

It was a runway show deep in the gorges of Banjima ngurra seamlessly melding Aboriginal art and high fashion which showcased the immersive experience Karijini Experience has sought to champion since its foundation. The festival, which started in 2013 as a long-table dinner for 75 people, ran over five days and finished last Saturday night with some of the State’s top musical acts performing at the Yurlu Lounge on the park’s airstrip. It was a far cry from last year when the event was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Experience is run in partnership with the Banjima Native Title Aboriginal Corporation and is driven by a desire to connect non-Aboriginal people with Aboriginal culture. It was held from April 6-10 and included 45 events for locals and tourists to engage with and immerse themselves in Banjima culture. Event organiser Sonia Powell said the experience let visitors learn about Aboriginal culture first hand. “They just get to understand a lot more about Aboriginal culture, and how important country is,” she said. “Visitors got to experience a part of the corroboree, they’ve got to walk through a welcoming smoking ceremony — just things that everyday people who aren't Aboriginal get to do here.” Ms Powell said the event was an opportunity for people to actively engage with the Banjima people and learn about the inner workings of the culture. “It’s an opportunity for people to just learn about what they (Banjima) do, learn about how the families work, and the languages,” she said. Ms Powell said a risk management document was created for this year’s event to keep in line with COVID-19 protocols. “That was an intense document to keep everyone safe, particularly our elders — that's our biggest concern,” she said. From bush walks with Banjima elder Maitland Parker to the WASO string quartet performing in the Kalamina gorge there was something for everyone at the event. Other highlights included Stephen Pigram and the Sonus Ensemble’s haunting performance in Kalamina gorge, public jam sessions with artists on the airstrip and a fashion show featuring models wearing clothes featuring the artwork of Banjima woman Kay White. “It makes my heart swell,” she said. She said the festival helped bring Aboriginal stories to life. “It brings a close connection to traditional Banjima people,” she said. The capstone event for the festival was the Yurlu Lounge concert featuring well-known West Australian artists including Stephen Pigram and the Sonus Ensemble, the Yabu Band and Vicki Thorne. Albany hard rockers Tre Amici closed the concert with a variety of rock covers that had the crowd on their feet and dancing in the dirt. Stephen Pigram said the Karijini Experience was an unique venue to perform in. “I came here when the first one was put on and played with a full moon behind me and it’s good to see it keeps getting bigger and better,” he said. “The way I look at it is the gorges are the most pristine and best sounding concert halls you can get. “All the beautiful waterfalls and waterholes are gorgeous, and it’s a very unique part of Australia.” The Sonus Ensemble also held a percussion workshop for children to help get them interested in music. “It gets the kids kind of interested in making music and songwriting I guess; if I sing a few of my songs and I tell them what it's about maybe I can get a little light to go off in their musical brain,” he said. Ms Powell said the workshops held by artists and local Banjima people created a relaxed environment for people to learn. “Everyone's comfortable with each other and that starts that beautiful collaboration. people learn and it's just that's a beautiful thing,” she said.