Mandu Beads

Jewellery

World’s oldest jewellery?

Could this be some of the world’s oldest jewellery? These 32,000-year-old shells feature delicate holes through which Aboriginal people once threaded string to fashion body ornaments such as necklaces, belts or bracelets. Such artefacts reveal that Aboriginal people were creating jewellery at the same time or even earlier than ancient Europeans. The original beads are featured in the new WA Museum - Boola Bardip.

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Gwoonwardu Mia - Gascoyne Aboriginal Heritage and Cultural Centre

Celebration of Aboriginal heritage and culture

The spacious and modern Gwoonwardu Mia Gascoyne Aboriginal Heritage and Cultural Centre celebrates the culture and country of five Gascoyne Aboriginal language groups. You can learn much about the...

Address:

146 Robinson St
Carnarvon WA 6701
Australia

Tel:

(08) 9941 1989

Email:

gwoonwardumia@museum.wa.gov.au

Open Hours

Mon to Fri 9.30am - 3.30pm

Return to collection to read more

Gwoonwardu Mia - Gascoyne Aboriginal Heritage and Cultural Centre Overview

Emu Egg by Bill Poland

Emu egg artistry

Like many Shark Bay people, Bill Poland was a man of both the sea and land. As a boy he worked on one of his dad’s five sail-powered pearling luggers. In the book Yammatji, published in 1992, he is...

Shield by Chubby Jones

Ancient armoury

The red-and-white markings in the grooves of this shield were typical of those made and used in the Gascoyne area. Called a jiwara or a bugali, the shield was made by Yinggaarda man Chubby Jones at...