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Jandamarra Cadd, Aboriginal Artist

4/10/2018

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During my talk with Jandamarra, we chatted about a few of his paintings, in particular those of Uncle Bob Randall titled "We are the Land", Uncle Jack Charles titled "Cleverman", and one of an Aboriginal boy leading a non-Indigenous boy by the hand titled "Walking Together". Click on the title links to Jandamarra's website for more information about these paintings. "Uncle Jack" is also another striking traditional dot-style contemporary portraiture. 

Continue to Jandamarra's website for more of his story and artwork, and information about upcoming exhibitions.

We also talked about a powerful short film by Uncle Bob Randall called "Kanyini". Here is a link to the Kanyini website. 

Towards the end of the podcast we mentioned Jandamarra's lovely wife, Amy Cadd, and the work she is doing in palliative care and around the challenging subject of death and dying. Here is a link to Amy's Facebook page.

Also, for anyone interested in arachnids and other (I won't say creepy) crawly terrestrial invertebrates, we gave a plug at the end of our talk to Jandamarra's young step-son, Winton. Follow Winton's passion and great photography on his Instagram site.
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Aunty Lauraine Barlow

4/6/2018

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The 'Act'

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The 'Act' that Aunty Lauraine talks about in relation to 'exemptions' was a terribly discriminatory piece of Queensland legislation entitled The Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897. Under this Act and its Regulations, the Queensland government was empowered to (among other things):
-  appoint a 'protector' of Aboriginal people;
- remove Aboriginal people from their traditional lands and relocate them to reserves set up by the government, "in such manner, and subject to such conditions, as may be prescribed";
-  forbid non-Aboriginal people from entering the reserves;
-  issue permits for Aboriginal people to work outside the reserves for up to 12 months, with renewal or revocation of such permits at the discretion of the 'protector'; 
-  issue blankets to Aboriginal people, which blankets "shall be and remain the property of Her Majesty";
-  provide for the control of Aboriginal people; and
-  prohibit Aboriginal rites or customs that were deemed to be injurious to Aboriginal welfare.

Yarrabah Mission

PictureTypical mission dormitory
According to government records, 969 Aboriginal people were removed from their home land and taken to Yarrabah from the establishment of the mission until 1972.  When anthropologist, Norman Tindale, visited Yarrabah in 1938 he found 43 different tribal groups represented there. 

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Dr John Bradley

24/5/2018

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Singing Saltwater Country

Monash Country Lines Archive has created digital animations of a number of Yanyuwa songs and stories to assist with the preservation of traditional knowledge, language and history. Click this link to see these extraordinary animated stories of the Yanyuwa families of Borroloola, including the Tiger Shark whom John mentioned sung back over the country he had travelled. 

For anyone with even a remote interest in songlines, here is a link to "Singing Saltwater Country", a definite must-read; and also a link to Volumes 1 and 2 of "Language for Us, The Yanyuwa Saltwater People - A Yanyuwa Encyclopaedia".
To meet some of the senior Yanyuwa song women, and for a greater insight into Yanyuwa (saltwater) country, have a look at this YouTube clip about the Gulf Country Songbook, a collection of Yanyuwa, Marra, Garrwa and Gudanji songs. At about 13:42 of the clip, Marlene Timothy shows a map of Yanyuwa songlines, pointing out the Sir Edward Pellew Group of Islands, part of the traditional home of the Yanyuwa people.
Also, John refers to Deborah Bird Rose's work when he mentions wounded places. Here is a link to a very interesting video clip with Deborah Bird Rose talking about the extensive songline of the Black headed python who travels from the Indian Ocean across the entire continent to the Queensland coast, and beyond. 
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Garminungeena, Jenny Thompson - Part 4

20/5/2018

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Weaving in the New Dreaming

In this podcast (episode 5), Garminungeena tells us about a concept and spiritual practice called dadirri (pronounced da-did-ee), a word from the Nauiyu (Daly River) area in the Northern Territory. Garmi is an authorised teacher of the healing practice of dadirri.

Below is an extract from 
respected Aboriginal Elder, Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr about dadirri:
It is our most unique gift. It is perhaps the greatest gift we can give to our fellow Australians. ... It is inner, deep listening and quiet, still awareness.

Dadirri recognises the deep spring that is inside us. We call on it and it calls to us. This is the gift that Australia is thirsting for. It is something like what you call "contemplation".

When I experience dadirri, I am made whole again.
Listen to Miriam-Rose's explanation of dadirri , and read more about dadirri and her work at the Miriam-Rose Foundation website.
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Garminungeena, Jenny Thompson - Part 3

17/5/2018

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Get on to your Dreaming Track

In this podcast, Garmi mentions two very prominent Australian poets:
  • Judith Wright (1915-2000), poet, environmentalist and activist for Aboriginal rights, who moved to Mount Tamborine in the Gold Coast hinterland; and
  • Kath Walker, Oodgeroo Noonunccal (1920-1993), poet, Aboriginal political activist, artist and educator from Minjerribah, currently known as North Stradbroke Island, Queensland.
For anyone not familiar with these eminent women, click on the links in their names to learn more about them and their captivating and inspirational poetry.
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Garminungeena, Jenny Thompson - Part 2

10/5/2018

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​Women's Business, Family and Seven Sisters

In this episode, Garmi talks about the role of Nungeena Aboriginal Corporation for Women's Business, and how six Aboriginal women got together and approached the then owner of the current Nungeena land who was operating a Thai restaurant from the property.  

Garmi also recounts the publicly-available Dreaming story of the mountains now known as the Glass House Mountains.   

Below are some photos of the Nungeena property, and Mount Beerwah (Mother Mountain), Mount Tibrogargan (Father) and Mount Coonowrin (or Crook Neck has he is known locally).

I am told that, when coming to Nungeena from the west on sunset, Coonowrin does, indeed, look like a young boy with his head cocked to one side.  From time to time Mounts Beerwah and Tibrogargan are opened to climbers by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, however, it is culturally inappropriate to climb any of these sacred mountains. 
The road to Nungeena; part of the Nungeena property; Mt Beerwah, from Nungeena 
Mt Beerwah (far left), Mt Coonowrin (CrookedNeck);  and Mt Tigrogargan
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Garminungeena, Jenny Thompson - Part 1

8/5/2018

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It's Time

In Part 1 of Garminungeena's (Jenny Thompson's) talk with me, we mentioned a couple of very enlightening books that you might like to look up:
  1. "Dark Emu: Black Seed: Agriculture or Accident?" by Bruce Pascoe, and
  2. "The Biggest Estate on Earth - How Aborigines Made Australia" by Bill Gammage.
Also, during our chat I mentioned the "Babakiueria" YouTube clip.  ​I can no longer find the whole clip on YouTube, so I have included a link below to a Vimeo version.  I hope you can access it - it's really very clever.
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Babakiueria from Giacomo Barchiesi on Vimeo.

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Dr Lynne Kelly - Memory Aids and Devices

21/4/2018

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My incredible chat with Dr Lynne Kelly, author of 'The Memory Code', covered many fascinating topics, but really only just scratched the surface of Lynne's knowledge of mnemonics, the study and development of systems for improving and assisting the memory.

In this episode, Lynn talks about portable memory devices such as the African lukasa - wooden tablets that are covered with multi-colored beads, shells and/or bits of metal, or incised or embossed with carved symbols. See what these intriguing memory boards look like and learn more about how they are used as memory aids on Lynne's website at: www.lynnekelly.com.au/2017/11/an-incredible-set-of-memory-boards/.  ​

Also, check out updated on 'The Memory Code' and follow Lynne's ongoing work at: www.lynnekelly.com.au.

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    About me 

    My work in town planning and environmental law gradually led me to wonder whether western society had lost a crucial connection with 'something'. In exploring what that 'something' might be, I looked to Indigenous knowledge and in doing so, became enthralled with the intriguing yet very complex concept of multi-dimensional songlines.

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