Conference Papers
Session CG2.2. Connecting Generations: history, culture, storytelling and memory
1. Judith Field, Chris Bonney, Brett Cochrane & Jillian Garvey: Let’s Go Get Emu: keeping the knowledge and passing it on
Full paper | Audio | Video | Slideshow
It is important to maintain traditions and to hand on the knowledge passed down to us by elders of our community, especially that knowledge of bush tucker. Traditional Emu hunting and butchering is is in danger of disappearing, and with that the methods we use for hunting, butchering and cooking these types of food. An opportunity to record and talk about our methods developed during our work at Cuddie Springs, a place where many extinct animals have been found with butchering tools. One of these animals was a giant extinct bird, something like an Emu. Combining our skills and knowledge with those of our collaborators we have been able to record the sequence and process of getting ‘wild meat’ as well as furthering our understanding of which parts of the bird (both extinct and modern) provided the best eating. This knowledge is now recorded for future generations as well as helping us understand the continuity between past and present. The talk will cover aspects of butchering emu, describing which parts of the bird are best eating and which parts have the best nutritional value. Estimates for the exinct bird Genyornis newtoni are also presented.
Author bio: Brett Cochrane is a Murawori man who lives in Brewarrina with his wife and 7 children. He is concerned that the knowledge of bush tucker and its use, passed on to him from elders in his community, will disappear if not recorded for future generations. Brett has worked with numerous archaeologists over the last 15 years, but mainly as one of the principal excavators at the Cuddie Springs archaeological site. Combining his experiences and understanding of co-existence of giant extinct animals and people in the distant past, gleaned during his years of working at Cuddie Springs, with his extensive knowledge concerning Indigenous approaches to hunting and butchering in western New South Wales has proved to be of immense importance to his family, community and to the research community.
Author bio: Chris Boney is a Murawori man with links to the Weilwan people of western New South Wales. Like Brett, Chris is concerned that the knowledge of hunting and butchering of bush tucker such as Emu needs to be recorded in a form accessible by future generations. Also having worked at Cuddie Springs, he has seen it important to combine research interests (such as those of archaeologists Field and Garvey) with his knowledge and understanding of traditional practices.
Author bio: Jillian Garvey and Judith Field are archaeologists who have a keen interest in understanding modern Indigenous hunting and butchering practices as one key to understanding the archaeological record left by past generations.
2. Michael Ingrey: ‘This is where they lived’: Researching historical Aboriginal people and places in South Eastern Sydney
Full paper | Audio | Video | Slideshow
‘This is where they lived’ is an Aboriginal community run historical and cultural study into post-European contact Aboriginal places within the South Eastern Sydney area (partly funded by the NSW Heritage Branch). This research, which covers an area south from Sydney Harbour to the Hacking River, is being undertaken concurrently with a broader Doctoral project entitled ‘The Sydney Aboriginal Historical Places Project’ (Paul Irish, ANU). The project aims to recover the history of these people and places from over a century ago who formed the basis for our community today. These people and places are not broadly known in our community, especially among younger people who would benefit from a greater understanding of these times. Some La Perouse Aboriginal Community Elders, hold knowledge of places, people and events which contributes to the project cultural content that cannot be seen by the general public in historical documents. Our research also involves members of the La Perouse Aboriginal Community that contain family stories and other Aboriginal people with knowledge of Aboriginal settlements within the area. The ‘This is where they lived’ project would also have a huge benefit for the La Perouse Aboriginal community as it takes the knowledge such as family connections, people and places from the Elders and document into a new form of information sharing such as that many of the younger generations use today. The study includes detailed historical and archival research, community consultation on cultural and family issues, and site visits. The key feature of this project is the cultural understanding of places, people and Aboriginal culture to this area, of looking at these past people and places from an Aboriginal perspective. This is to get away from a long history of non-Aboriginal researchers interpreting Sydney’s Aboriginal history without taking into account or disbelieving past Aboriginal voices, and assuming there is no knowledge and insight alive in my community today which could help in this interpretation. This paper will explore examples of Aboriginal people’s connections to the area through language, places and knowledge.
Author bio: Michael Ingrey is from the La Perouse Aboriginal Community of Botany Bay New South Wales and identifies as being from the Dharawal (Botany Bay NSW) and Dungutti peoples from the mid north coast of New South Wales, particularly the Bellbrook area. After gaining his HSC in 2000, Michael completed a Structural Engineer (Aeroskills) apprenticeship with QANTAS. Rather than continue in this field, Michael had a desire to work with his community to improve facilities and services, particularly for younger people. He currently works as an information referral officer for the La Perouse Aboriginal community and is a member of the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council, La Perouse Deadlys Leadership Group, La Perouse Aboriginal Men’s Group and Eastern Zone Gujaga MACS Aboriginal Corporation. Michael has a strong interest in the heritage and history of both Dharawal and Dungutti people, and in keeping both cultures strong. He has worked on Aboriginal heritage projects around Botany Bay including archaeological excavations and developed a particular interest in the Aboriginal culture and history of South Eastern Sydney. Since 2009, he has worked closely with Paul Irish and members of the La Perouse Aboriginal community to better document this history and heritage.