Tweed Valley Weekly Locals Supporting Locals
Thursday, January 15, 2026 Local News
New Bundjalung exhibit By Rada Campbell
ANCIENT ORIGINS sit quietly at the heart of a new exhibition opening at Tweed Regional Museum, offering locals a deeper understanding of the land we call home. At 10.30am on Friday, the museum corridors filled with families for the opening of The Wiiyaan, a powerful exhibition sharing one of the most foundational creation stories of the Bundjalung Nation. Small in physical scale but rich in meaning, the exhibition uses carefully spaced works and a short film upstairs to create space for reflection rather than spectacle. Developed by Bundjalung Artist and Cultural Advisors Kyle and Bijang Slabb, alongside community collaborators, The Wiiyaan tells the story of the Three Brothers, the ancestors who journeyed north, south and west, forming the different Bundjalung tribes and dialects across the Northern Rivers. Their story is deeply embedded in Country; with landmarks many locals pass daily holding layers of meaning far older than roads or towns. One of the most striking elements of the exhibition is that it is still evolving, reflecting the way cultural stories are carried forward rather than fixed in time. That ongoing nature highlights the contrast between museum structures and the living transmission of knowledge through Aboriginal lineage. “For us as Aboriginal people, I’ve always steered away from culture becoming a museum piece or something that’s historical, because it’s really a living culture,” Kyle told The
Weekly. “But what we put in place today is going to be talked about by future generations as history. Museums are keeping places, and as Aboriginal people that’s important to us. How do we keep story? How do we look after what’s been passed on to us, whether it’s material cultural artefacts or intangible story and language?” For Bundjalung children, the exhibition offers something many never had growing up. “It’s a sense of belonging and connection,” Kyle said. “To have an origin story and connect to an origin story is a key thing for identity. This is a story about your ancestors, where we’ve come from and where we’re at today.” He said the story also offers meaning for non-Indigenous locals. “When you’re living on Country and you know the story of that Country, it gives people an understanding. It’s the beginning of that.” Tweed Regional Museum Acting Director Erika Taylor said the exhibition reflects years of relationship building. “Museums are colonial institutions and not traditionally safe spaces to tell these stories,” Erika said. “So, it’s been about authentically building relationships with Kyle and the local community over many years.” The Wiiyaan does not ask visitors to relinquish their own history. Instead, it offers context. An origin story beneath the settler stories that followed, enriching how we see the place we all share. The Wiiyaan exhibition is now open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm at Tweed Regional Museum, 2 Queensland Rd, Murwillumbah.
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Tweed Regional Museum - The Wiiyaan - Artists Bijang and Kyle Slabb
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