“Nganangarri, (the story of the great Dreamtime spirit) comes from the old people. We pass it onto the younger generation so they can give it life in the future”.

Betty Carrington, Gija Elder

The Gija Nation and language group started working with SharingStories Foundation in 2017 supporting the community goal, everyone strong in Gija. The storytelling program supported the passing and the creative interpretation of the creation story of Jirraginy joo Goorrarndal: Frog and Brolga. Led by Gawarre (Bungle Bungles) Traditional Owner and Gija Elder, Shirley Drill, the work was a continuation of the story from the Sharing Our Stories print book produced with SharingStories founder, Liz Thompson. Purnululu School students alongside dedicated custodians, teachers and SharingStories facilitators created a stunning bilingual multi-touch book and animation which won the Australian Teacher of Media award for the 'Best Middle School Animation'.

Over the next two years, the GIJA Community are:

• releasing Jirraginy joo Goorrarndal: Frog and Brolga multi-touch book for the Gija and wider Australian community
• broadcasting the Jirraginy joo Goorrarndal: Frog and Brolga short film
• producing educational resources to support the teaching of First Nations perspectives
• launching a permanent interactive display panel of Gawarre (Bungle Bungles) at the new WA Museum
• continuing to grow language resources including the Gija language app and language films

Community Members
Shirley Drill (Senior Custodian/Storyteller/Creative Director) Zoe O'Hara (Community Facilitator), Bessie Daylight (Community Facilitator), Paul Butters (Community Facilitator) and Corrie Baxter (Community Facilitator).