An art form practiced in the Kimberley for tens of thousands of years is being used by Aboriginal children in Fitzroy Crossing to celebrate Christmas.
Boab nuts, fallen from the boab trees synonymous with the Kimberley region in WA's north, are being splashed with vivid colours and patterns and turned into Christmas ornaments at Marra Worra Worra Aboriginal Corporation's Night Space.
A young boy transforming the boab nut into a Christmas decoration. Image: Marra Worra Worra.
Open seven nights a week, The Night Space provides a safe, supervised place for children after dark, offering hot meals, showers, mentoring, and connections to health, education and family support services.
Over fifty children from across the region attended the Christmas decorating sessions, with staff painting the palm sized boab nuts.
While the end of year holiday period is one where communities come across the Fitzroy Valley to be joined in festivities, it can also be a time where the region's most vulnerable - children - still need support.
A painted Christmas decoration ready to be hung up. Image: Marra Worra Worra.
The Night Space will continue operating throughout the holidays, including night patrols and physical and mental health check-ins.
For children who may feel unsafe in their home environment over Christmas, it will provide a place to share a meal and receive support.
