Nyungar Elder James Kearing with Yule Brook College | students Walter Woods, Cedric Cuttabutt, Denzel Thorne and Phoenix Maia.
Camera IconNyungar Elder James Kearing with Yule Brook College | students Walter Woods, Cedric Cuttabutt, Denzel Thorne and Phoenix Maia. Credit: Supplied/Marie Nirme        d458081

Nyungar culture passed on to next generation at Yule Brooke College

Francis CurroComment News

Mr Kearing is holding didgeridoo sessions with students at Yule Brooke College in Maddington. The program will culminate in a recording session at SoundLab studio at Amherst Village Library.

The students will be recording at SoundLab today, with some of the tones to be mixed with sounds like the kookaburra and dingo.

Mr Kearing said he wanted to teach the younger generation about Aboriginal culture.

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“It’s all about passing things down; you never keep things bottled up,” he said.

“My knowledge is very important. I pass it down to the young Aboriginal fellas and the non indigenous.”

Mr Kearing has been playing the didgeridoo since he was six years old.

He said teaching students circular breathing was important in playing the didgeridoo as well as in life.

“You will have an advantage,” he said. “I believe that David Wirrpanda had the cutting edge because of circular breathing.”

Year 8 student Denzel Thorne said he enjoyed learning about Aboriginal culture.

“He is teaching us how to breathe and he told us it will help us in the long run,” he said.

“I do football for the football academy and he said it helps you breathe when you are running.”

The 13-year-old said he found the culture fascinating and he learnt a lot.

“I reckon it is really good to teach generation to generation because it actually really helps,” he said.