Cultural learning: to be continued

One of the biggest learnings that inspired this project was the need for us, as non-Indigenous people, to take responsibility for our own cultural learnings. The onus should not fall on Ngunawal mob, or Indigenous peoples more broadly, to teach us about our colonial history, and the role we play in perpetuating colonial systems and practices.

That means having conversations with those around us about the impacts (past and ongoing) of settler colonialism on Indigenous peoples. It is about learning to sit with the discomforts that come with these truths, to be more conscious of ongoing colonialism and attitudes, and to learn how to engage respectfully with Ngunawal mob.

To start this journey, we held a series of yarning circles with 30 SEE Change members, led by Ngunawal elder Wally Bell (pictured). We chose yarning circles as they encourage us to “[sit] together and [share] stories, histories, advice, laughter and tears” (Imtoual et al., 2009). Yarning circles privilege Indigenous knowledge systems, values, perspectives, and ways of doing. They encourage active listening and sharing, with no one speaker dominating the conversation or occupying a privileged position of power. This gave Wally the opportunity to share his experiences and build up cultural awareness of Ngunawal Country.

Over 4 weeks, we had deeply impactful conversations about colonisation and its ongoing impact, Indigenous knowledges and how they are deeply embedded in Country, and our obligation to look after Country. Throughout our yarns, we reflected on how these learnings differed greatly from conventional Western understandings of our environment and our relationship with it.

It has been an incredible experience to be a part of this project and a huge learning curve. It has taught us the importance of taking time to build and nurture relationships with each other (Hannah and Izzy), with the SEE Change community, and with Ngunawal mob, in particular with Wally. Centering relationships and building connections rather than just focusing on outcomes was a challenging but necessary shift. The project was guided by the relationships we built, not predetermined outcomes or deliverables.

At the end of the yarning circles, we wanted people to feel we had only just scraped the surface of what we had to learn. The yarns were hard because we could not be passive, we had to bring ourselves into the conversation, challenge our biases and unlearn understandings about our role in continuing colonialism. It was evident how little we knew or understood, and emphasized the need for us, as non-Indigenous people, to continue this learning journey. It was wonderful to see participants take on this responsibility in their eagerness to stay involved and share their learnings with others around them.

We can’t wait to continue this learning journey with you next year. For those who could not attend the yarning circles, we have attached a few of our favourite readings from the project to get you started.

Readings:

Acknowledgement of Country

Guidelines for a respectful Acknowledgement of Country, Fenner Circle, ANU.

Opposition to ‘terra nullius’ (nobody’s land)

This map is an attempt to represent the language, social or nation groups of Aboriginal Australia. Note that the boundary areas are shared country, not hard lines of separation between groups. 

A perspective of history

‘The Mapping of Massacres’ from the New Yorker is a confronting read about Australia’s history. While confronting, it is essential that we not only learn this history but also begin to understand its ongoing impact.

Climate change as continuing colonisation

Rise: From One Island To Another. A very moving video about Indigenous peoples’ response to climate change.

Connection to Country

Friday essay: this grandmother tree connects me to Country. I cried when I saw her burned. This article from the Conversation speaks to the connection between Indigenous peoples and Country, and Country as knowledge holder.

Cultural burning

What are whitefellas talking about when we talk about “cultural burning”?