Mabu Buru: Broome’s new Aboriginal souvenir shop opens its doors

A new souvenir shop is bringing Aboriginal culture to life through authentic art and local products in the heart of Broome.

Mabu Buru Shop is the latest venture from Mabu Buru Tours, founded by former Indigenous ranger Johani Mamid.

Brightly coloured T-shirts featuring prints by Aboriginal artists hang on racks, while nearby shelves display jars of bush honey and traditional medicine.

Aboriginal prints share space with cultural artefacts from the Broome region, alongside stuffed animal toys of Kimberley wildlife.

Mr Mamid says the store grew from tourists asking where they could buy authentic works they saw on his tours.

“They wanted to buy Aboriginal products that were actually made by Aboriginal people,” he said.

Through his business, Mr Mamid is correcting a market flooded with inauthentic Aboriginal products.

A 2022 Productivity Commission report found 75 per cent of Indigenous-style souvenirs sold in Australia were fake.

The report, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Visual Arts and Crafts, said the trade in counterfeit merchandise undermined cultural integrity and deprived artists of income.

It called for mandatory labelling and stronger protections to prevent exploitation of Indigenous cultural and intellectual property.

Supporting Aboriginal-run businesses is important, Mr Mamid says, especially when many First Nations people were building from scratch.

“We as Aboriginal people are often playing catch-up,” he said.

“We’re not inheriting anything because there’s no old money in our families. But culture is what we have.”

While proud to showcase items connected to local Aboriginal culture, the shop follows strict guidelines about what can be sold.

“We only display artefacts we have permission from our mob to show, just like the cultural experiences we offer on our tours,” Mr Mamid said.

He points to one example, twin boomerangs which are also musical instruments, handmade for the store.

“A lot of boomerangs are mass produced out of cheap wood, but we sell boomerangs that are handcrafted by Aboriginal people from the region,” he said.

“The wood is from a type of hakea macrocarpa which is native to Broome, and we refer to is as being from a boomerang tree, because the tree itself has a lot of bends in it.”

“They are actually found inland, because our people are not just the saltwater people, we are also bush people.”

One of the featured businesses in the shop is Mijinali, created by Yawuru/Djugun sisters Ali and Mitch Torres.

Their range of soaps, candles and body products use native ingredients such as gubinge — a vitamin C-rich Broome plum.

For Mr Mamid, his latest business chapter transcends commercial gains, it’s about educating non-Aboriginal people about his people’s culture.

“It’s not just about buying something,” he said.

“We are teaching culture through sharing and practising.

“And a part of that sharing is giving people the opportunity to buy an authentic product from the local community.”