Wintjiri Wiru accept top tourism awards honouring Anangu culture

The Wintjiri Wiru Working Group received awards for their renowned Wintjiri Wiru drone show.

Northern Territory Tourism Brolga Awards standouts Wintjiri Wiru Working Group have come together at the Ayers Rock Resort to accept accolades for a renowned drone show.

The Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia’s choreographed light show took out two of the 22 award categories at the recent awards evening in Darwin, winning the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tourism Experiences category as well as the Chair’s Choice for Tourism Excellence.

The Group comprises senior Anangu from Mutitjulu and Kaltukatjara (Docker River) who are custodians of the chapter of the ancestral Mala story told during the Wintjiri Wiru cultural storytelling and drone experience.

The Wintjiri Wiru Working Group proudly accepted their two Brolga Awards at Uluru. Picture: Supplied

Rene Kulitja from the Wintjiri Wiru Working Group said it was important they were able to share their traditional stories with visitors on country.

“People from every place have come to see Uluru. Now we want people to come and experience our story in a new way,” she said.

“We want visitors to know this is our story, to look and listen and feel with us.

“Our stories have been here since the beginning, and [we] want to share this story with the world.”

Wintjiri Wiru Songline Anangu share the Mala story, from Kaltukatjara to Uluru, through a drone, sound and light show designed and produced by RAMUS. Photo: Getty Images

As the sun sets over Uluru each night, 1200 drones take flight to bring to life the ancestral Mala story from Kaltukatjara accompanied by the voices of Anangu storytellers and soundtrack including traditional Inma recorded with members of the local Anangu community.

Wintjiri Wiru, meaning ‘beautiful view out to the horizon’ in the local Pitjantjatjara language, consists of choreographed drones, lasers and projections designed and produced by world-renowned media architecture studio RAMUS.

It is also the world’s first experience of this magnitude to be performed regularly.

Voyages CEO Matt Cameron-Smith said the “stunning” Indigenous storytelling experience offered an “authentic connection to Anangu culture in the spiritual heart of Australia.”