When a young man took his own life in 2005, in the remote community of Lajamanu, local Warlpiri Elders said, ‘Enough is enough’. With help from friends, Lajamanu established Milpirri Festival to spread the traditional ideas of ‘Kurdiji’ among their young people to foster a sense of belonging. Now those same Elders have brought Kurdiji into the digital age, with a community created app based on stories, ceremonies, and law.

Kurdiji 1.0 is a community-led, crowdfunded project aiming to save young Indigenous lives by building resilience, dignity and strength through connection to culture. Using 3D visualisation of ceremony and dance, audio recordings, video and text, Kurdiji 1.0 will provide some of the cultural nourishment provided by initiation in community. The app will reach out to young people who can’t live on country, or who feel cut off or isolated. By reconnecting people with language, skin name, ceremony and law, this app will increase resilience by creating a sense of belonging.

Who is Kurdiji for?

The Kurdiji 1.0 Aboriginal resilience building app is a gift to all First Nations people and their allies, from the Warlpiri community of Lajamanu in the Northern Tanami. This app was especially designed for young people who can’t live on country, or who feel cut off or isolated.

Is there a cost to use Kurdiji?

No – Kurdiji 1.0 is free to download and use.

How to access Kurdiji

Kurdiji 1.0 is available for free download from Google Play on Android devices.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Kurdiji

Kurdiji Research and Evaluation?

Kurdiji 1.0 was developed by the Warlpiri Elders, who drew upon their lived experiences with suicide to develop a culturally safe, trauma-informed app. Kurdiji 1.0 was developed in collaboration with a leading clinical psychologist from the Black Dog Institute.