Baaka Cultural Center | Wilcannia, NSW, Australia

The Baaka Cultural Center will repurpose the former Knox and Downs decrepit building in the center of Wilcannia. The purpose of the centre is to preserve and raise awareness of the rich culture and traditions of the B/P Aboriginal people of the middle and lower Darling Baaka River region and to support cultural initiatives in the wider community.

It will be a keeping place for Barkintji artefacts and their oral history. A place for past, present and emerging artists to create and display their works. It will include a ‘language nest’ with the intent to preserve the local dialect which is over 60,000 years old. Stories from our elders will also be recorded and further engage the youth in their culture.

The Baaka Cultural Center is currently under construction and has a target opening date of February 2025!

Preserving Culture & Traditions

BAAKA WELCOME - Ngayi!

Baaka respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Country on which we stand, and we pay our respects to elders; past, present and tribute to those who are emerging.

Language - Barkintji/Paakantji

We do not imply that this is the one and only way of spelling Paakantyi words, just the one we have found to be most convenient. Paakantyi has a different sound-system from English: it does not make the same distinctions between sounds that English makes: notably it makes no difference between p and b, t and d, k and g, the sound is often somewhere in between. It therefore makes no difference whether one writes ‘Baagandyi’ or ‘Paakantyi’ - and we have chosen to do the latter, and the many people consulted about this have on the whole agreed (Hercus, Luise, Paakantyi Dictionary, AIATSIS, 2011).