– Introduction
– What does “Wunan” mean?
– The Wunan/East Kimberley region
– Indigenous disadvantage in the East Kimberley
– Addressing the challenge
– Looking forward – the plan ahead
– Relevant publications and other suggested reading

The “Wunan” name was officially adopted for the East Kimberley region by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) in 1990.

“Wunan” refers to a traditional ritual of Aboriginal people in the East Kimberley to describe an occasion where effective trade occurs. The meaning also encompasses caring and sharing.

This extract from Wyndham Yella Fella by Reginald Birch, a founding director of Wunan Foundation, helps to explain:

“A group of Aboriginal men appeared out of nowhere. Already symbolically marked in vivid white ochre and a burnt red like the very rocks of the Kimberley, they moved slowly among the rest.

Wide-eyed children quickly made space and turned to their mothers for security. The messengers carried huge bundles of ochre-coloured bamboo. This ritual was called ‘Wunan’. It was a traditional distribution of wealth, a bartering. A means of caring and sharing — Aboriginal currency.”

Birch, Reginald (2003) Wyndham Yella Fella, Magabala Books, Broome WA, p153.