As the bicentennial of European settlement in Albany approaches, a major exhibition in Western Australia highlights the invaluable oral histories of Menang-Noongar elders. In a setting where tradition meets new technologies, these testimonies interact with AI-generated models to revive a memory that has long remained in the shadows.
Albany-Kinjarling: The Voice as an Imprint of Memory
As part of the exhibition Kinjarling Djinnang Ngalak | Country Sees Us, the Western Australian State Library unveils six recently recorded oral histories from Menang-Noongar elders. These intimate testimonies resonate with unprecedented virtual models, attempting to recreate the essence and contours of the land as it existed before the colonial era.
A millennia-long presence beyond commemorations
For Menang elder Carol Pettersen, the truth is striking: European occupation represents only a tiny interlude compared to her people’s uninterrupted presence on these lands. Her testimony, interwoven with those of five other community leaders, forms the beating heart of this retrospective, which opened on May 18 in Perth, echoing the bicentennial celebrations in Albany.
The stakes here go beyond mere historical commemoration. It is about shifting perspectives and challenging the supremacy of the written word within institutions, which has long silenced Indigenous voices. The State Library is now working to correct this imbalance by enriching its archives with stories that, more than a century ago, were kept out of them.
Restoring the silences of history
The exhibition’s curator, Denien Toomath, herself of Menang descent, sees this project as a tribute that is both personal and universal. She sees this endeavor as a true love letter addressed to her grandmother, her peers, and the Noongar generations who have managed to preserve and pass on their knowledge despite the fractures imposed by colonization.
Her curatorial work involved sifting through the State Library’s collections to reveal not only their treasures, but above all their gaps. A revealing approach: in most institutions, Indigenous peoples have historically been subjects of observation rather than partners in dialogue. Through this new lens, the absence of documents becomes the starting point for a new narrative.
The landscape, guardian of a living memory
The exhibition weaves these voices into a visual representation of Kinjarling, affirming that this territory is far from being a mere historical setting: it constitutes a vibrant identity. The exhibition design invites visitors to perceive the landscape as a living entity, a repository of memory and a place with its own language. This vision builds on recent initiatives led by the City of Albany regarding Menang-Noongar heritage.
The region’s festival notably unveiled Kaarla Wirren (Fire Spirit), a poignant performance accompanied by a series of historical panoramas of the land. All of these projects share a noble ambition: to bring colonial history and Indigenous spiritual continuity together, without ever subordinating one to the other.
A heritage reimagined for tomorrow
Carol Pettersen hopes that this new dialogue will lay the groundwork for future major celebrations, such as the one planned for Perth-Boorloo in 2029. Her vision is clear: the transmission of stories is essential to grasping the richness of a community, supporting it appropriately, and dispelling the veils of ignorance.
Lester Coyne, whose testimony also enriches the exhibition, describes this project as a complex puzzle in which everyone holds a piece. A deeply poetic metaphor, illustrating both the dispersion of knowledge and the infinite patience required to piece it back together. But this image also takes on a distinctly political dimension: collective memory does not resurface spontaneously; it is meticulously woven, voice by voice, against the all-too-convenient forgetfulness.
The exhibition, on view through April 4, 2027, does not seek to freeze the past in any way. It elegantly highlights that in Western Australia, as everywhere else, these bicentennials reveal not only the history we choose to celebrate but also the voices we are finally beginning to hear.