Lived Experience Forum

[Oaktree]

@Elac 

Thankyou so much for sharing that video. I loved it. It's so nice to hear language as well as hear song and watch dance. So much of our culture has been lost. It's great that some has been preserved for future generations to see.

Meggle

[Elac]

Wurundjeri Country covers the catchment of the Yarra River (Birrarung) in so called Melbourne Victoria
It has beautiful forests of Mountain Ash up in the hills, fantastic flat valley (where they grow wine now), meets up rich volcanic plains at one of its feeder creek the Merri Creek, which used to be called Merri Merri or very rocky. The Volcanic grasslands are sadly now reduced to small pockets. Murnong or Yam daisy was a staple food but is now rare. Wurundjeri tribe has started a bushfood enterprise at Corranderrk.

[Oaktree]

@Elac 

You have much knowledge!

Meggle

[Oaktree]

The following is an older video of Music and Dance. It should be noted that there are many different ways to spell Nyoongar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JoN7gni9mw the documentary that comes up afterwards is very interesting too. Perhaps if the places were dual named that would go a long way toward the healing process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3keo2HCGvWU

Meggle

[TheVorticon]

Today I learned that I come from the land of the Turrbul and Jagera peoples.

I don't watch TV or spend time on social media so haven't seen much for NAIDOC Week, although this morning I noticed that we had the Australian Aboriginal Flag and Torres Strait Islander Flag in the foyer at work.

[SJT63]

I now live on  lands of the Turrbul and Jagera peoples - the red ochre people who lived exactly where I live now were called Ningy Nigny.

I was born where the Wurundjeri hold stewardship.

Where my heart lies, where I have a connection to country, is with the ancient kingdoms of Wessex and Wales. I had no idea what it meant to feel like one belonged to a place until the first time I went to England in 1985.

[utopia]

I was born on Wurunjeri land.

My home is now on Taungurung land. Both of the Kulin Nation.

Taungurung area includes places like Mount Bulla, Mansfield. Seymour. Benalla.

The Yeerun-Illam-Balug are the Clan where I live. They are one of 9 Clans within the Taungurung. There are only decents of 5 of these Clans remaining now. The others having succumed to white settlement, diseases, violence, removal from land, etc.

Nearby is the land of the Yorta Yorta people. On another border is the land of the Pangerang People.

So you can see that I live in a beautiful part of this country.

[Jo-anneJoy]

Wadawurrung country

my forever home since July 15 2020

[Elac]

@Oaktree The truly beautiful thing is that Mandy, one of the founder of this dance group, reclaims her language and culture. Like many, her recent ancestors were forbidden to speak language or practice culture. It is a privilege when I witness this revival. Here an interview she did last year that is amazing https://www.abc.net.au/radio/melbourne/programs/evenings/mandy-nicholson/12882372

[Elac]

Thanks for these!
I watched the first one and love how the face markings relate to animals.
Will finish watching the other one tomorrow, getting late 😊