Kalyagul: Connections to Menang Country

About

This landmark exhibition at the Museum of the Great Southern celebrates Menang people's profound connections to the land, sea and skies of Albany and their crucial role in shaping how the region's natural world was explored and understood.​

In the 1840s, Menang people shared their kaartdijin (knowledge) with early visitors and researchers, guiding the study of local waters by helping to catch, preserve and name fish. These collaborations informed a remarkable body of scientific paintings of fish, reptiles and mammals, alongside portraits of Menang people and collections of their material culture.​

Now, for the first time, this material and knowledge returns home to Albany, uniting international and interstate collections with Western Australian Museum objects and local artefacts.​

Through these historical records and new collaborative knowledge sharing, the exhibition reveals stories of Menang individuals and community and recognises their central role in creating knowledge about their Country. Their deep involvement in this work is kalyagul — always, ever, continuing.