MOWANJUM FESTIVAL TO BRING CULTURE, FAMILY AND JUNBA TOGETHER
Young attendees enjoying the festival. Credit: https://mowanjumarts.com/festival
The Mowanjum Festival will return near Derby this Saturday, bringing families together for an afternoon and evening of culture, traditional knowledge, art, storytelling, song and dance.
The 27th annual festival will be held at the Mowanjum Aboriginal Art and Culture Centre on Saturday, August 29, celebrating the living cultures of the Ngarinyin, Woddordda and Wunambal Gaambera peoples.
Mowanjum Art and Culture Centre manager Leah Ambugay said the festival was an important opportunity for families living across Australia to return home, reconnect and share knowledge with younger generations.
“This is the time we can get together and share and pass on knowledge — the stories, the language. It’s all about culture and traditions,” Ms Ambugay said.
“We want to reach out to our families and friends to come back home, feel that belonging and have a big celebration to enjoy our culture.”
Workshops will run from 2pm to 5pm and are expected to include storytelling, boab nut carving, jewellery making, spear throwing, club and spear-making, ochre painting and other cultural activities.
The evening program will feature traditional singing, dancing and storytelling by families from the three language groups.
Performers at Mowanjum performing Junba. Credit Mowanjum Arts Facebook Page
Central to the festival is Junba — the traditional song and dance that carries stories, knowledge and connections to Country across generations.
Ms Ambugay said Junba was about more than performance, with culture expressed through movement, dress, totems and storytelling.
“The stories — everything is about the tradition.”
This year’s festival carries particular importance as younger community members take greater responsibility for continuing cultural practices passed down by Elders.
“We’ve lost so much,” Ms Ambugay said.
“These young people now have to step up and go forward. We want to recognise the old people we do have, but also recognise the young ones coming up to become singers and dancers and carry our traditions.”
“We’re going to continue practising, teaching, preaching and telling people about Country, and being strong with our own good laws and customs.”
Ms Ambugay invited people from across the Kimberley, Pilbara and beyond to attend, learn and show their support for the Mowanjum community.
Junba at a previous Mowanjum Festival. Credit Mowanjum Arts Facebook Page
“It’s also about sharing and learning, and supporting your neighbours from afar,” she said.
“We want our young people to be strong, not forget who they are or where they come from, and understand the responsibility we have to go forward for the younger generation.”
The 2026 Mowanjum Festival begins at 2pm on Saturday, August 29, at the Mowanjum Aboriginal Art and Culture Centre on Gibb River Road, about 10 kilometres from Derby.
Tickets are $45 for adults, $25 for young people aged 10 to 17 and concession holders, and free for children under 10. Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate from 2pm.
More information and tickets are available through the Mowanjum Festival website and Mowanjum Arts Facebook page.