Nobody knows for how many thousand years the Dunggula story has been told to children. But this year, for the first time, it's going digital
superimposes silhouetted dancers moving across a traditional dot painting. “All culture is fluid,” said Tim Goodwin, co-chair of SharingStories, barrister and member of the Yuin community in south-east NSW.
“There’s no sense that Aboriginality or our cultural expression is a concept that is frozen in time. “And [our digital formats] still incorporate all those ancient traditions of painting and art, dance and language that are the bases of storytelling.” “To think that one Aboriginal person holds everything is wrong,” said Sansbury-Smith. “Because there are storytellers, there are song people and visual artists ... everyone has their role. When we go to communities we always ask who can guide the students best in relation to the multiple art forms that are explored.” Every program is driven by the community and choices of content, story and images are guided by elders. Annie Nayina Milgin, senior Nyikina cultural custodian, directing a drone in the Kimberley as part of research into the story of Woonyoomboo the Night Heron.“Stories have grown, from 12 to 85-page digital touch books, because each time there’s a journey on country and groups of elders together, they recall fragments of stories that are pieced together,” said Thompson, who has helped Indigenous people publish their stories for over 30 years. “That term used now about ‘awakening sleeping languages’ is accurate about stories, because they are also laying there. “That’s why it’s so important to facilitate those experiences and journeys because ... if [the story] is not catalysed and recalled and recorded, if the sites aren’t located while custodians are able to, then a lot of that knowledge could be lost.” Children at St Georges Road Primary School in Shepparton making a mosaic from the painting they created for the Dunggula digital touch book.Gunyuk yama wuta yenbena yakapna malnha damanmy, gona yurratha ganya Baiami ngarrnhang.Every SharingStories digital touch book is recorded in traditional language and English and the foundation works with a linguist and/or community language worker to ensure translation is accurate. Many of the languages the foundation works with are on the UNESCO endangered languages list. The Bangerang language has not been spoken widely since missions banned people from speaking it 100 years ago. But Kobe Atkinson, now 21, narrated the Dunggula story in Bangerang for the digital touch book and the project inspired him to work with his cousin Roland Atkinson and the Bangerang Nation Language Circle to finish a 700-word dictionary of Bangerang language, to be published later this year. The SharingStories program “provided motivation to bring the language back”, Kobe Atkinson said. “We have grown up with a few words, but not speaking the language. So to know my kids and their grandkids and the whole Bangerang nation will grow up with language is everything.” Cyril Dhambutjawa Bukulatjpi taking part in a SharingStories program on Elcho Island, Northern Territory.He gave a welcome to country at a community event recently and said aunties cried when they heard it spoken in traditional language. Bangerang means “people of the tall trees”. The dictionary and the touch book are fitting tributes to Dunggula story custodian, the late John “Uncle Sandy” Atkinson, who sadly died before the book was finished. Atkinson25 years ago to help revive Aboriginal languages. SharingStories will return to help produce more language resources with his community later this year. Every community program produces 10 to 20 hours of teacher resources as well as the digital content. The foundation is building an online education portal to be launched later this year, so resources approved by communities can be shared with schools and teachers around Australia. Funding comes from federal government Indigenous Languages and Arts, the Australia Council and various philanthropic organisations and is mostly tied to programs. SharingStories would like funding for First Nations managers and to expand the education and culture portal, Thompson said. Goodwin said the first stage for SharingStories is to impart skills to help communities keep recording their stories and the next stage is to share education resources approved by communities with all Australians. “The stories inhabit this place we call home. That’s why it’s important for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to know them,” he said. Feeling satisfied that the country was no longer thirsty, Gunyuk lay down on the banks of Lake Alexandrina. Her baka played along the beach and kicked sand up ... forming enormous hills, now known as the Adelaide Hills. Three-panel design by St Georges Road PS pupils for the Dunggula digital touch book and an interactive map.
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