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Session R2: Health, community well being and cultural practice

1.V. Couzens & L. Darroch: Reclaiming,  Reviving, Regenerating, and Remembering: Renewal of Aboriginal cultural knowledge and practices in Victoria

Full paper | Audio | Video | Slideshow pdf 2.5MB

Abstract

In late 1999 after viewing the collection at Melbourne Museum, Vicki Couzens and Lee Darroch were inspired to begin what was to become a significant cultural and spiritual journey continuing till the present day Lee and Vicki, along with Debra Couzens and Treahna Hamm reproduced replicas of the two possum skin cloaks held at the Melbourne Museum. The Melbourne Museum project has culminated in ten years of working across Aboriginal communities in Victoria sharing their knowledge, skills and experience in making possum skin cloaks. Their work continues and is now spreading into New South Wales, ACT and South Australia. Vicki and Lee will discuss their experiences and the powerful ways in which their work brings healing and cultural and spiritual reconnection to the Aboriginal communities and individuals they work with. Their journey has become a shared visionary experience that aims to share and reconnect communities through possum skin cloaks and showcase south Eastern Aboriginal culture and stories to an international audience

Author Bio:

Vicki is a Keerray Woorroong Gunditjmara woman, mother of 5 and soon to be grandmother of 7. Vicki is an artist and community cultural development worker currently based in Melbourne.  She has worked extensively in Aboriginal community affairs including language reclamation and revitalisation, cultural regeneration and the arts for the past 30 years. Vicki’s work, along with her colleagues Lee Darroch and Treahna Hamm, for the past decade has featured the cultural reinvigoration of possum skin cloaks in the Victorian Aboriginal community and is now reaching out working with other Aboriginal groups in NSW and Canberra.

2. Lola Greeno and Zoe Rimmer: Tayenebe: Tasmanian Aboriginal women’s fibre workshops

Full paper | Audio | Video | Slideshow pdf 653KB

Abstract

Tayenebe is a partnership project between Tasmanian Aboriginal women fibre-workers, Arts Tasmania, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and the National Museum of Australia. Conceived as a cultural maintenance project, Tayenebe focussed initially on the revitalisation of women’s fibre work in Tasmania assisted by an ongoing series of workshops held across Tasmania since 2006. The Tasmanian Aboriginal Women’s realisation they have unique basketry skills and techniques remained in the hands of a few weavers. The risk of losing that knowledge and cultural connection to plants and their making into objects inspired both the Tayenebe workshops program and its recent development to major touring exhibition. The exhibition Tayenebe: Tasmanian Aboriginal women’s fibre work will showcase unique aspects of Tasmanian Aboriginal cultural production including work made from plant fibres and kelp. Contemporary works will be exhibited alongside historic pieces that together highlight the processes and significance of making to cultural survival.Lola Greeno, Tasmanian Aboriginal Project Officer at Arts Tasmania, will speak about the inception and development of the Tayenebe project. The model focused on the workshops and their part in reviving plant and basketry knowledge, skills and specific weaving techniques for Tasmanian Aboriginal women. Lola will also discuss their growing significance to the wider community through education programs.A merging basket weaver will reflect her experience at larapuna from a sense of place to aspire creation Tayenebe is a Tasmanian Aboriginal word meaning exchange. Some of the varied, complex reasons for the making and the collecting of Tasmanian Aboriginal fibre objects will included in the exhibition.

3.  Tina de Groot & Charlie Davis: The Soul of H.O.P.E

Full paper | Audio | Video | Slideshow pdf 618KB

Abstract

The Mildura HOPE project was established for Indigenous students and their families in years 5 and 6 at Mildura Primary School in 2007 and supporting transition to year 7 at Chaffey Secondary College. The main indigenous students we work with are from the Barkindji, Latji Latji and some Yorta Yorta people. Most students - but not all, come from social disadvantaged families of who are in the cycle of generational poverty.

The aim of the project was to encourage strong school attendance, improved student learning outcomes, and strengthen cultural identity and to provide opportunities to develop social capacity for inclusion in the mainstream community through the “Arts” and “Sporting” arenas. The project was funded by the Australian Government: The Attorney Generals Department, the Department of Health and Aging and the Indigenous Coordination Centre.

H.O.P.E is the acronym for Hope, Opportunity, Purpose and Education … The Hope that shared partnerships can and do make a differences in young people life’s when they are give the Opportunity to participate as an active member of their learning pathway/s with meaningful Purpose as a valued member of their school and wider community, through Education one is opened up to the world of discovery, awakening, sharing, deep learning’s and hence the platform for personal growth. With a deep belief in us comes a deep sense of connectiveness with our community and Hope for our future.

The H.O.P.E Project has shown to our school community and beyond that social inclusion is possible, achievable and acceptable. Acceptance is a powerful motivator and the belief that this is achievable and produces results far beyond that of any data set that can be replicated upon a piece of paper.

Author bios:

Tina de Groot’s background is mainly in Teacher Assistance and as a Residential Care Manager. This has included living and working on an Indigenous community in the Northern Territory at Docker River, working in Public and Private schools as well as 10yrs experience in coordinating activities, staff and accommodation in respite care homes for intellectually and physically disabled children. Her teaching skills were recently up-dated through a Teacher Assistant Certificate III Course. Tina’s life experiences are very rich and varied, gained from 7 years of travelling and working around rural, remote Australia.

Charlie Davis is a Registered Nurse with Post Graduate Studies in Psychology, Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drug Studies and Innovation and Service Management.  Charlie’s passion lies in working with individuals, families and communities who have experienced the effects of intergenerational disadvantages based upon the “Life, Death Cycle” inclusive of one’s Social and Emotional Wellbeing based upon a model of Community Wellness. Along with working for the H.O.P.E Project Charlie, continues to work within the wider Community Health Sector as the Coordinator of a Pharmacotherapy Program within the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services and within Victoria Police as a Custodial Health Alcohol and Other Drug Nurse.

Both presenters have been engaged with the HOPE Project since its inception and have played an instrumental role in working towards achievement of set aims; objective; and outcomes.

4. M. Whitford & L Ruhanen: Brisbane’s Annual Sports and Cultural Festival: connecting with community and culture through festivals

Full paper | Audio | Video | Slideshow pdf 2.1MB

Abstract

In Australia, traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage continues to thrive, not only through art, storytelling, dance and community gatherings (van Den Berg, Collard, Harben, & Byrne, 2005) but also through sports events. Sporting events provide Indigenous Australians with a means to reclaim heritage, increase economic independence and preserve indigenous culture (van Den Berg, et al., 2005). Consequently, indigenous events have come into the focus of both Federal and State government for the numerous socio-cultural and economic benefits they can provide to indigenous communities and regional economies. Indeed, the DoHA (2008) claim that within the Australian community, sport provides a strong and continuous thread through a diverse and widespread population, consequently sport is a binding element in the social and cultural fabric of Australia. The ability of sporting events to positively contribute socially and culturally to Indigenous peoples and communities can be seen in the case of the Annual Sports and Cultural Festival which is staged and managed by First Contact Inc.

First Contact Inc. is a not-for-profit indigenous operated service that was established in 1992. Based in Brisbane, it provides a number of services to the local indigenous community including the staging of the Annual Sports and Cultural Festival, an indigenous sporting and cultural event that has been held annually in Brisbane since 1993. The festival, created, developed and staged by First Contact Inc., aims to bring together indigenous and non-indigenous touch football (i.e., a non-contact derivative of Rugby League football) teams from Brisbane, regional Queensland, interstate and overseas to participate in a competitive tournament. Additionally, a range of indigenous musical and cultural entertainers perform on the ‘community stage’ throughout the three day event and various food stalls and arts and crafts are available for sale. The primary focus of the Annual Sports and Cultural Festival is the sporting tournament. However, the, festival has grown from a small, local community ‘get together’ to become a relatively successful sports and cultural festival, as evidenced by the growing numbers of participants and spectators, from both Australia and overseas.

First Contact Inc.’s aims for the festival are:
• It is a gathering of our people and a time when you have true community spirit;
• It is a time to showcase our sporting abilities;
• It is a time when people are considered as one irrelevant of race, age or ability;
• It is a time to share different culture and interests;
• It is a time to catch up with old friends and a time to make new;
• It is a time when people have hopes for their future and thoughts from the past;
• It is a time to be proud of who we are;
• It is a time when we welcome visitors to Brisbane; and,
• It is a time when we can showcase our local indigenous artists and sports people.

Funding was provided by the Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) and the event organiser, First Contact Inc. to undertake a socio-economic evaluation of the Annual Sports and Cultural Festival. The purpose of this paper is to report on the research results which revealed that the sports festival plays a central socio-cultural role in the Brisbane region and provides opportunity for community celebration, cultural rejuvenation, indigenous entrepreneurship, tourist activity and economic gains for the region. Attendance at the festival has increased economic and social capital by providing the community with specific opportunities for accessing and developing community resources, improving social cohesiveness and providing a focus for celebration.

References
Department of Health and Ageing (2008). Funding Programs and Support: Indigenous Sport and Recreation. Available online: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/sport-indigprograms

van Den Berg, R., Collard, L., Harben, S. & Byrne, J. (2005). Nyungar Tourism in the South West Region of Western Australia: A Literature Review of Tourism. Available online: http://www.cscr.murdoch.edu.au/ncs_lit_review.doc

Author bios

Dr Michelle Whitford is Lecturer in Event Management and Campus Academic Adviser with the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Southern Cross University. Michelle has twenty years of both practical and managerial experience in the Performing Arts which affords her the opportunity to articulate her vast experience into her present role as a researcher and educator in tourism and event management. Michelle holds a Diploma of Dance from the Victorian College of the Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in Leisure Management with Honours (First Class) from Griffith University. She was awarded her PhD in 2005 at the University of Queensland. The focus of Dr Whitford’s doctoral research was local government public policy and event management. While she continues to research in public policy, tourism and events, Dr Whitford is now undertaking research focusing on indigenous tourism and events including projects in the Torres Strait and Papua New Guinea. michelle.whitford@scu.edu.au

Dr Lisa Ruhanen is a Lecturer in Tourism Management and Coordinator of the Postgraduate Coursework Program at the School of Tourism, The University of Queensland. She has a PhD from the University of Queensland which focused on sustainable tourism destination planning. In 2003 she completed a Graduate Certificate in Education (Higher Education) from The University of Queensland.

Dr Ruhanen has close ties with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). She is a Visiting Scholar with the UNWTO Department of Education and Knowledge Management and an external consultant for the UNWTO.TedQual and UNWTO.Sbest certification programs. Additionally, she is the Australasia representative on the UNWTO Education and Science Council steering commmitte.

Dr Ruhanen’s research interests include sustainable tourism, destination planning and the impacts of climate change on policy and planning for tourism destinations. More recently Dr Ruhanen has co-coordinated several projects in the area of Indigenous tourism with a focus on capacity development and entrepreneurship. l.ruhanen@uq.edu.au