AFTER spending time in Darwin at the Michael Long Leadership Centre, the AFL Aboriginal Academy headed East to Arnhem Land to engage in important cultural learning in the region’s homelands.
The trip forms all part of the Academy’s annual study tour, which contributes to their SACE Stage 2 Aboriginal Studies curriculum.
Join us, as we share their journey through the camera lens.
Part 2: Jordan Dorizzi-Tucker and Joseph Egan
In Joseph's words....
"Next we were off to North East Arnhem Land, to a remote town in the NT called Nhulunbuy. We packed up the troopies with all our gear and began the long, three-hour drive from Nhulunbuy to our next stop: the homelands. First up was Wallaby Beach, then Nyinyikay.
"When we rocked up we received a welcome ceremony from the local people, to welcome us into the Nyinyikay country…it was really intense. The homeland elders put ochre on our foreheads, to give us protection from bad spirits, and to welcome us to the local clan. It was like nothing I’ve experienced before.
ABOVE: Jordan greets locals at the welcome ceremony in Nyinyikay.
ABOVE: Joseph gets ochre painted on his face in preparation for the ceremony.
"Marcus, one of the most respected men in this homeland, performed a welcome dingo dance for us. It was fierce…you couldn’t look away. The welcome was an incredible experience – one most of us wouldn’t have had at home.
"After that, a group of us went searching for firewood to help prepare for dinner. Local children showed us the best places to find wood, while some of the boys went crabbing. We went on a walk with Marcus, and he taught us all kinds of things about the native plants, for eating, healing and bush medicine. So many of the plants have multi-purposes and it was fascinating to learn all their uses.
"One of my favourite parts of the Nyinyikay trip was learning to search for trees to make a Yidaki. Yidakis are an Aboriginal woodwind instrument similar to a didgeridoo. Marcus taught us to look for termites at the bottom of the tree, to ensure the tree is hollow. Some of the boys cut down their own trees and kept them to strip, paint and transform into their own Yidakis. Some of us are going to get lessons to learn to play the Yidaki properly."
In Jordan's words....
"On the second night in Nyinyikay, we had a closing cultural dance. We got the ochre painted on us again, and we did three different dances – a dingo dance, cockatoo dance and bird dance. I’ve done choreographed dancing before, but nothing like this. It was an awesome experience.
"The boys were a bit shy and ashamed at first, but after a few rounds of dancing, everyone came out of their shells a bit, and we started getting into it - everyone was laughing and having fun. Dancing helps us see our true identity more; our cultural identity. When you’re dancing, with your brothers, all of those negative feelings, or feelings of shame, start to turn into pride. And that pride makes you want to do better by yourself, and by your culture.
"Another three hours on the dusty NT roads and we were at our second homeland visit, Dhanaya, for more cultural learning.
"Here, we did plenty of fishing, out on the open ocean and also from the shore. We went to a little island in the middle of the ocean and dropped a line…we caught a few fish, but left them for the homeland locals to enjoy.
"Seeing how connected and preserved culture is up here was incredibly meaningful to us. It shows that our culture isn’t gone yet. There are still people around Australia that hold their culture strong. It was important for us to see.
"The cultural experience here has been so different, you get to see so much more out here. I’ve learned so much about my own culture, and all the stories that have helped shape it.
"Next up, we were headed back to Nhulunbuy for Australia’s biggest celebration of Yolgnu culture – the GARMA festival…"
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