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Jawun Week 1: Welcome to Country

For the next six weeks, Eric is on a Jawun secondment.  He's working on Ngarrindjeri Country in Murray Bridge at Moorundi Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service.

Week 1, and after an easy introduction to the Lower River Murray and Far West Coast secondees at Glenelg, we headed off on induction.  Our base for the next two nights was Camp Coorong.  Camp Coorong was established as a place to learn about Ngarrindjeri life, history and culture.  We started to understand the richness of life and the region, stretching back many thousands of years.  Sadly the camp is closed to the general public but there's a strong desire to get it open and running again as an attraction and centre of culture and learning.

Sunrise at Camp Coorong

We had the privilege of learning to weave from Aunty Ellen, whose artwork is exhibited nationally and internationally.  It was a bit like learning to paint from Picasso, with Aunty Ellen demonstrating endless patience that our skills probably didn't merit.  Weaving is an important life and cultural activity for the Ngarrindjeri, making use of the reeds growing around the river and lakes to manufacture creations for endless uses - baskets, mats, fish traps and the like as well as for display.  While our creations ran to rather simple key rings and the like, through Aunty Ellen's examples, pictures in books and pieces in the museum, we could see the amazing creations able to be manufactured from simple reeds.
Traditional weaving

Uncle Darryl took us through the Camp Coorong museum, showing off pieces of art, pictures, tools and other items while telling stories of past leaders, of hunting, living, war and leadership in the Ngarrindjeri nation.  The museum is incredibly impressive and could pretty much reopen to the public immediately with the right support. 
From the Ngarrindjeri museum

We also spent time meeting leaders at Moorundi ACCHS (where I'm working), at Ngarrindjeri Ruwe Empowered Communities, and other places where Ngarrindjeri services were delivered and businesses are run.  There was always a strong entrepreneurial theme and positive attitude, regardless of location and team, but also a recurring message of battling against systems (generally Government) that don't demonstrate the required flexibility.  Through an interesting team exercise (not giving anything away), we also developed some understanding of the loss suffered by the Ngarrindjeri when their thriving culture and country was shattered by European settlement.

Welcome to country at Murray Bridge Fringe Festival

First weekend activities included the Murray Bridge Fringe, where Rita and Michael gave us a second welcome to country for the week after their more intimate ceremony for us at Camp Coorong.  Amy, Ange and I also went on a bit of a Sunday drive with pizza lunch, to Strathalbyn.
Sunday lunch


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