The Hindmarsh Island bridge dispute told by the Ngarrindjeri women who lived it.
Indigenous storytelling begins and ends with land, and this story is from the Ruwe (Country) of the Ramindjeri Larkinjeri (clan) of the Ngarrindjeri Nation.
Kumarangk (Hindmarsh Island) is a landmark new intergenerational First Nations arts project from Country Arts SA, exploring the true story of the Ngarrindjeri women who resisted the construction of the Hindmarsh Island bridge, a story untold from their perspective, until now.
Over 10 years in the 1990’s, these protestors faced an onslaught of attacks from both media and politics for speaking out over their Country and culture against the building of the bridge from Goolwa to Hindmarsh Island.
Through the process of truth-telling, Kumarangk seeks to provide a form of restorative justice for the Ngarrindjeri women by replacing the vitriol they faced at the time in defending their culture and Country with appreciation from a new generation of audiences who will, critically, learn about history from a First Nations perspective.
“This exhibition is about the ongoing love and fight in Ngarrindjeri women’s circles,” said one of the 13 featured artists, Sandra Saunders.
“It finally gives me and my sisters, as artists and activists, a chance to tell our story our way. Culture is important and heritage places of significance to Aboriginal people are important to every Australian. We celebrate the strong women who stood up and fought to protect heritage, even through the firestorm that surrounded them.”
Premiering at the Adelaide Festival, Kumarangk is the first step in telling the story from the women who lived it. It will be followed by a documentary film in the Adelaide Film Festival in October and an on-Country theatre performance in Goolwa in 2027, all underpinned by a research and community archive.
Featuring thirteen artists: Sandra Saunders, Aunty Betty Sumner, Sonya Rankine, Carly Tarkari Dodd, Tiarnie Edwards, along with the Mardawi Collective made up of Aunty Ellen Trevorrow, Temeika Campbell, Zemiah Campbell, Debra Rankine, Elizabeth Rankine, Bessie Rigney, Stephanie Russell and Margi Sumner, with text by Aunty Katrina Powers and Aunty Eunice Aston.
Curated by Dominic Guerrera (Ngarrindjeri/Kaurna) with associate curators Danni Zuvela and Jayda Wilson (Gugada/Wirangu)
Adelaide Contemporary Experimental (ACE) Kaurna Yerta, Adelaide: 22 February – 4 April
🎧 Aboriginal Way spoke with Dominic Guerrera, Country Arts SA’s Ngarrindjeri/Kaurna creative/curator, who came up with the idea.
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