Moogahlin Performing Arts Co-Founder and Artistic Director, Lily Shearer is a proud Murrawarri woman and has spent NAIDOC Week, 4 – 8 July in her home territory working on a Creative Development called Ngapa, Mayi, Purtu (Water, Earth, Rain).

She says the production being developed will honour the wisdoms of the Murrawarri Rainmakers by exploring the importance of Water, Earth, Rain and what it means to Murrawarri and neighbouring First Nations People.

"I got the idea in 2007 when I saw an old newspaper article at the Brewarrina Police Station, about the Murrawarri Rainmakers who were taken to various places across Australia to dance to make rain during the 1950’s drought," Ms Shearer said. "Since 2008/09 it has been on Moogahlin’s Artistic Program and in my dreams, to create a new work that would be done on Country, honouring place and people, especially the Rainmakers.”

Moogahlin is an incorporated company formed in 2007 by a group of first peoples artists, educators and community workers. The company bases itself on Gadigal land in Redfern, Sydney and on Ngemba land in Brewarrina.

Their latest Creative Development exercise was originally meant to be held at a property on Murrawarri land near Weilmoringle but due to flooding had to be moved to Goodooga as this was the only place where Moogahlin staff, Lead Artists and Crew could all be housed together thanks to accommodation provided at short notice by Brewarrina Shire Council.

The days spent on country are laying the foundations to create a performance which will later return for it's world premiere.

Elders Phyllis Cubbby and Patsy Cooper share their stories with workshop participants.

To commence this creative development on Monday 4 July, a local Yuwaalaraay woman Melinda Gibbs performed a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony by the banks of the Birrie River.

Melinda asked the group to find an object from the bush that spoke to them and after the Smoking Ceremony they sat down in a circle to talk about why that object chose them. They were then taken around Goodooga by Melinda and her daughter, Lavinia Williams, to be introduced to Yuwaalaraay Country.

Clayton Wood gifted the group with boogalies (Yabbies), which was appreciated by all, for some of the team members this was their first taste of boogalies.

On Tuesday 5 July, there was a workshop with lead artists, Tom Barker (Language and Culture) and Tim Bishop (Movement) out at Weilmoringle Public School Hall where Mr Michael Mendes, Principal of Weilmoringle Public School continues to support Murrawarri culture and stories.

Movement sessions with Tim Bishop. PHOTO courtesy Moogahlin.

The workshops held at Goodooga Youth Centre the next day were headed up by lead artist, playwright and author Jane Harrison.

Jane’s provocation to the group was, “If Country was a person: What would be the characteristics, personality, and gender?  And if Country wanted to tell us something, what would it tell us and what would the action be.”

All participants wrote a monologue for this and read them aloud with the intention of recording them all. They finished up in the afternoon with a workshop with lead artist Ryan Clapham, AKA “Dobby”, exploring the sound of the rain, when its soft and when its heavy.

Ryan played the keyboard while the group meditated to the sounds of rain. A collective rap was created about Ngapa, Mayi, Purtu (Water, Earth, Rain) with all lead artists in this project identifying as Murrawarri.

Photo courtesy Moogahlin.

Thursday evening 7 July involved a not-so-ordinary barbeque and a swim at the local artesian baths.

Moogahlin artists played around with projections and images on people wearing lab coats with umbrellas, with images shot by photographer Jarrah Bill, who has been documenting the process of the creative development. 

"It's still not decided what artistic form the production will be presented in, however, the team are having fun - or Moogahlin - a Yuin/Bunjalung word meaning ‘to play, fool about’," Ms Shearer said.

The final day in Goodooga on Friday 8th, Murrawarri Elders – Aunties Phyllis Cubby, Sandra and Patsy Hooper shared their experience of connection to Murrawarri Country, the role they play in Caring for Country and their connection to Ngapa, Mayi and Purtu.

Sharing stories at Goodooga.

The days in Goodooga and Weilmoringle were the first creative development of this new work which Moogahlin Performing Arts will produce and present as a full-scale production that will have its world premiere at Weilmoringle on a clay pan in 2024.

"This will also be a part of the Baiame’s Ngunnhu Festival in Brewarrina in April 2024, after which it will be open to producers, presenters, and venues if they would like to take it on tour in 2025, regionally, nationally, and Internationally," Ms Shearer said.

The Creative Development is supported by Create NSW, Australia Council for the Arts, Department of Communications and Arts, Murrawarri Republic, National Parks & Wildlife Services.