Culture & Community Life

Roles, responsibilities, and lived knowledge in community

Please enter the Lead Topic Statement

Please enter the Custodian Quote
Backup Statement Photo

Please enter the Statement Author from Please enter the Statement Location

Album: Djinama Yilaga Choir
Album: Djinama Yilaga Choir

Article

The Djinama Yilaga Choir has released their first album which can be downloaded via the link below. Djinama Yilaga is a living celebration of Yuin language, culture, and Country. Through Dhurga songs, they honour their ancestors and carry their stories forward. The intergenerational ensemble embodies resilience, joy, and connection, with their debut album inviting listeners into Yuin soundscapes and inspiring new Dhurga singers...

Read More...

Articles Icon ARTICLES
Ancestors Photo Gallery

Ancestors Photo Gallery

Photos of Ancestors shared by the Yuin Community....

Read More...

Community Photos Icon GALLERY
Artist Cheryl Davison: Art Gallery of NSW
Artist Cheryl Davison: Art Gallery of NSW

Article

Cheryl Davison discusses her art practice. In association with the 'Home: Aboriginal art from New South Wales' education resource....

Read More...

Articles Icon ARTICLES
Aunty Edith Campbell
Aunty Edith Campbell

Biography

Edith Campbell was a respected matriarch of Uncle Bill Campbell's family remembered for her warmth, her strength and her quiet authority. Born...

Read More...

Prominent People Icon CUSTODIANS
Bean Picking Photo Gallery

Bean Picking Photo Gallery

Photos of seasonal bean picking shared by the Yuin Community....

Read More...

Community Photos Icon GALLERY
Bega Valley Historical Society collection

Bega Valley Historical Society collection

The Bega Valley Historical Society holds a small collection of nine locally crafted wooden hand tools known as the McPaul collection. These...

Read More...

Collections Icon COLLECTIONS
Bermagui Historical Society collection

Bermagui Historical Society collection

Bermagui Historical Society and Museum have a digital collection of over 11,000 professional scanned photographs and records, where searches can be made...

Read More...

Collections Icon COLLECTIONS
Biamanga and Gulaga – Aboriginal Cultural Association with Biamanga and Gulaga National Parks
Biamanga and Gulaga – Aboriginal Cultural Association with Biamanga and Gulaga National Parks

Article

This report is primarily for Aboriginal people who are from the south coast of New South Wales and the wider Aboriginal community. Their family history and their cultural area and cultural association with the land has been reserached in the context of the joint management of Biamanga and Gulaga National Parks....

Read More...

Articles Icon ARTICLES
Burial Sites

Burial Sites

Gary Campbell talks about burial sites on Country and how they've been disrespected or built over....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Camping at Fairhaven

Camping at Fairhaven

Gary Campbell talks about Fairhaven and the experience of camping at Fairhaven and growing up sharing that space with other mob....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Ceremonies

Ceremonies

Patricia Ellis OAM talks about ceremonies, gendered ceremonies, their importance, and the multiple occasions for ceremony....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Ceremony and Language

Ceremony and Language

Vivienne Mason talks about ceremony and language. She shares her stories of dance and longing for her Language....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Chert and Faceting Stones

Chert and Faceting Stones

Patricia Ellis OAM talks about a type of stone called chert and how it was highly prized for tool making....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Corkhill Collection

Corkhill Collection

The William Henry Corkhill Tilba Tilba photograph collection is a collection of 875 photographs taken by William Corkshill in between 1890 and...

Read More...

Collections Icon COLLECTIONS
Cultural Business

Cultural Business

Bunja Smith shares his understanding of the rich systems that encompass Aboriginal Culture....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Culture

Culture

Bunja Smith shares the importance of Culture for him and why he rejects the idea that Aboriginal cultures are primitive....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Culture

Culture

Judy Norris discusses Culture. She shares what it means to her and what is important about it....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Culture

Culture

Lynne Thomas talks about Culture. She shares what it means to her and what makes Country so special....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Culture

Culture

Patricia Ellis OAM talks about her Culture and shares what it means to her and what it has taught her....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Culture

Culture

Warren Foster talks about Culture and what it means to him. He explains that Culture is the forefront of who he is and why he exists....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Dance Rites Indigenous dance competition
Dance Rites Indigenous dance competition

Article

Dance Rites Indigenous dance competition helps women share culture among generations. Yuin elder Vivienne Mason from the Walbunga and Djiringanj clans on the New South Wales far south coast, is the eldest of four generations of women who formed the Djaadjawan Dancers four years ago. Djaadjawan means sand in the Dhurga language. This weekend, the Djaadjawan Dancers will perform at Dance Rites, an event bringing together more than 200 Indigenous dancers from across Australia to compete on the Sydney Opera House forecourt....

Read More...

Articles Icon ARTICLES
Dances

Dances

Warren Foster talks about traditonal dances. He discusses the different reasons for danc, its traditions and healing power....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Defining Moments – Yuin & National Timeline

Defining Moments – Yuin & National Timeline

Timeline of key national and Yuin historical moments....

Read More...

Timeline Icon TIMELINE
Eurobodalla Regional Hospital entry artwork
Eurobodalla Regional Hospital entry artwork

Article

Local Walbunja, Ngarigo artist Cheryl Davison has been selected to produce an artwork, which will feature in the main entrance of the new $330 million Eurobodalla Regional Hospital....

Read More...

Articles Icon ARTICLES
Family Photo Gallery 1970-2025

Family Photo Gallery 1970-2025

Family photos from 1970 onwards shared by the Yuin Community....

Read More...

Community Photos Icon GALLERY
Family Photo Gallery pre-1970s

Family Photo Gallery pre-1970s

Family photos pre 1970 shared by the Yuin Community....

Read More...

Community Photos Icon GALLERY
Fishing Photo Gallery

Fishing Photo Gallery

Photos of fishing and related activities shared by the Yuin community....

Read More...

Community Photos Icon GALLERY
How the Water Got Turned on in Mogo

How the Water Got Turned on in Mogo

Bunja Smith shares the story about his families involvement in getting the water turned on in Mogo....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Identity and Belonging

Identity and Belonging

Lynne Thomas talks about identity and belonging. She discusses the sense of belonging Aboriginal people feel to each other and Country....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Identity and Belonging

Identity and Belonging

BJ Cruse talks about his perspective on Aboriginal identity and belonging....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Identity and Power

Identity and Power

Bunja Smith discusses identity and power through stories of his childhood.....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Indigenous home care program thrown a lifeline
Indigenous home care program thrown a lifeline

Article

An award-winning home care program that delivers culturally-appropriate aged care services for Indigenous people on the NSW South Coast has won a five-month reprieve after facing closure last year....

Read More...

Articles Icon ARTICLES
James Kunkas Little
James Kunkas Little

Biography

James Kunkus Little (1911–1972) was a Yuin entertainer, musician, and community figure. Born on 4 August 1911 at Wallaga Lake Aboriginal Station...

Read More...

Prominent People Icon CUSTODIANS
John Ford Collection

John Ford Collection

Merimbula photographer John Ford took hundreds of photos in the 1970s and 1980s of the Wallaga Lake Koori Village. These were donated...

Read More...

Collections Icon COLLECTIONS
Matriarchal Societies

Matriarchal Societies

Patricia Ellis OAM talks about matriarchal societies, grandmother's law, women's strength in culture and women's knowledge....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Men’s and Women’s Business

Men’s and Women’s Business

BJ Cruse talks about gendered roles, business and the jobs each gender was trusted with....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Men’s Clothing

Men’s Clothing

BJ Cruse talks about men's traditional clothing....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Micky of Ulladulla Collection

Micky of Ulladulla Collection

Mickey of Ulladulla, along with William Barak, Oscar from Cooktown and Tommy McRae, are artists who were wedged between their traditional Aboriginal...

Read More...

Collections Icon COLLECTIONS
Moruya and District Historical Society collection

Moruya and District Historical Society collection

The Moruya and District Historical Society holds a portrait of Percy Davis, whose tribal name was Narramurrao, and who was one of...

Read More...

Collections Icon COLLECTIONS
Music and Dance Photo Gallery

Music and Dance Photo Gallery

Photos of musicians and dancers shared by the Yuin community....

Read More...

Community Photos Icon GALLERY
Penny Jones Collection

Penny Jones Collection

From 1990 to 2017, Penny Jones photographed First Nations families in Wallaga Lake and Bermagui. These images were donated to Bega Valley...

Read More...

Collections Icon COLLECTIONS
Prominent People Photo Gallery

Prominent People Photo Gallery

Photos of prominent people shared by the Yuin Community....

Read More...

Community Photos Icon GALLERY
Rene Davidson Collection

Rene Davidson Collection

Rene Davidson's 1988 book, a compliation of photographs titled Whalemen of Twofold Bay contains a section on Aboriginal whalers and includes the...

Read More...

Collections Icon COLLECTIONS
Respect for Women

Respect for Women

Warren Foster talks about the importance of respect for women as birth givers and teachers....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Robert McLeod
Robert McLeod

Biography

Robert (Bobby) McLeod (1947- 2009) was a respected Yuin musician, poet, healer, cultural leader and father of ten, whose life story became...

Read More...

Prominent People Icon CUSTODIANS
Scar Tree (Canoe Tree)

Scar Tree (Canoe Tree)

Patricia Ellis OAM talks about and shows us Scar Tree. Patricia teaches how the tree would have been cut to make the canoe....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Shirley Foster
Shirley Foster

Biography

Shirley Foster was a respected Yuin Elder whose life journey embodied resilience, cultural revival, and community leadership. Born to Agnes Harrison and...

Read More...

Prominent People Icon CUSTODIANS
Songs

Songs

Warren Foster talks about songs, songlines and the different reasons for song....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
South Australian Museum Collection

South Australian Museum Collection

The South Australian museum contains a series of journal, maps, photographs and other archival material related to First Nations groups around Australia...

Read More...

Collections Icon COLLECTIONS
The Black Duck Totem

The Black Duck Totem

BJ Cruse shares the story of 'The Black Duck Totem 'Ubarra''....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
The Culture Kit

The Culture Kit

Patricia Ellis OAM and Vivienne Mason share the contents of The Culture Kit....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Timber for Tool Making

Timber for Tool Making

Warren Foster talks about different trees, bark and their purposes. He shares what was crafted from different woods and how they were made....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Trading

Trading

Gary Campbell talks about trading and what types of things would be traded and who Yuin mob would trade with....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Traditional Covering

Traditional Covering

Warren Foster talks about clothes, or what someone would use to cover themself. He talks about animal skins and fur that were used....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Vic Simms
Vic Simms

Biography

Vic Simms (1946–2025) was a trailblazing Australian singer, songwriter, and respected Elder whose life story embodied resilience, creativity and cultural leadership. Born...

Read More...

Prominent People Icon CUSTODIANS
WalgAn (Abalone) Photo Gallery

WalgAn (Abalone) Photo Gallery

Photos of collecting, preparing and cooking WalgAn (Abalone) shared by BJ Cruse....

Read More...

Community Photos Icon GALLERY
Wallaga Lake Community

Wallaga Lake Community

Warren Foster talks about Wallaga Lake, the community and the history of the place....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS
Warigamban: Sculpture Bermagui
Warigamban: Sculpture Bermagui

Article

As part of Sculpture Bermagui, and in partnership with Four Winds and Bundanon, Walbunja, Monaro artist Cheryl Davison spoke about her project Warigamban. Meaning ‘a long time ago’ in the Dhurga language, Warigamban is a large-scale sculptural and screen print installation that brings stories of Country, cultural practice, and Dreamtime to life through immersive visuals....

Read More...

Articles Icon ARTICLES
Women’s Role in Aboriginal Society

Women’s Role in Aboriginal Society

Vivienne Mason shares her experiences as an Aboriginal woman who grew up in a matriarchal society....

Read More...

Films Icon FILMS

Video Title

Video Summary

Video Byline

Welcome to the Yuin Digital Keeping Place. This website is intended to record and share information on events and people that have impacted on Yuin history, language and lifestyle. Over the coming years, we will include an even wider and richer collection of stories from Yuin Families.