Didirrgun
Tonight we had the privilege of sitting on the pindan dunes amongst all the cockle shells listening to Bart Pigram, Uncle Peter Peter's and another Elder tell stories of their time as children on Kennedy Hill, Broome, Western Australia. We listened to another old Welcome to Country audio stories and then they told us stories about Boogarragarra, the lady in the red dress, the devil dog story, about fishing for stingrays, old men fishtraps down south, and also north of Broome.
They also told us sad stories about Aboriginal people being locked up for no reason, for the segregation in Broome, about the exclusion zone of ‘boundary gate’. They spoke freely about their times as rascal kids and it was a beautiful moment of feeling welcomed onto Yawuru country. They also spoke of Law and the need for tourists and anyone visiting Broome to know what is culturally significant and sacrosanct and off limits.
The event was part of the Shinju Matsuri Festival that happens annually in Broome, as part of the Jetty to Jetty cultural activities program.
Didirrgun is an old man whose remains now have the Broome Police Station lockup built over.
