fostering little people’s culture activity book
TRANSCRIPT
Fostering little people’s Fostering little people’s culture activity book culture activity book
Culture and why it matters Culture defines who we are, how we think, how we are in community, what we value and what is important. Children should have access, whenever possible, to family, culture, country and community in order to promote the child’s understanding of their culture and to support their connection to their community.
When culture is ignored, children, young people and families are at risk of not getting the support they need, or worse yet, receiving assistance that is more harmful than helpful.
Positive cultural experiences support the following outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people:
• Developing cultural identity
• Building resilience
• Building self-esteem
• Improving coping mechanisms
• Maintaining trusted cultural connections
• Healing spirit
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Released to celebrate National Children’s Week, Fostering little people’s culture activity book celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history. Use this book to teach children why growing up with a strong sense and knowledge of culture, family connections and identity is imperative. Children with a strong cultural identity are more likely to be strong and resilient adults who are better able to cope with life’s joys and sorrows. Every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child has the right to grow and thrive in culture.
It’s in the heart, constant and strong. Young people need to know where they belong.
Defining cultural identityWithin Australia, there are two distinct cultures: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person is one who:
1. Is of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent
2. Identifies as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
3. Is recognised by the appropriate Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community as such
A child is Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander if they have one or two parents who identify as either or both.
An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child’s identity, culture and language come from their family and their relationship with the land and sea and their people. Being Indigenous lies in the identification of an Indigenous person’s relationships with their family and community. It is their relationships with their parents, pops and grannies, brothers and sisters, uncles and aunties, cousins and Elders.
The DreamtimeAboriginal culture is the oldest living culture in the world, over 50,000 years. The Dreamtime contains many parts: it’s the story of things that have happened, how the universe came to be, how humans were created and how the creator expected humans to function within the cosmos. Different groups have different Dreamtime stories, but all stories teach aspects that impact on daily life. These stories are passed on to young children through storytelling, art, music and ceremonies.
Culture is not a “perk” for an Aboriginal child, it is a lifeline.
Andrew Jackomos, Victorian Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People
Family structuresAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a complex system of family relations. Extended family relationships are the core of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kinship systems that are central to the way culture is passed on. For example, in many communities Aunties and Uncles are a child’s other mother and father and cousins are also considered brothers and sisters.
Culture is a strength for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young peopleAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people are from the oldest living culture in the world. Their forefathers were warriors who provided protection and guidance. The earth provides nourishment, shelter and healed their soul and their mothers nurtured and helped them thrive.
Cultural traumaCultural trauma has a debilitating effect on an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child’s growth and development. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia have experienced trauma as a result of colonisation, including the associated violence and loss of culture and land, as well as subsequent policies such as the forced removal of children (Stolen Generation). In many families and communities, this trauma continues to be passed from generation to generation with devastating effects.
“We didn’t go to Cherbourg and give the children a sense of being ‘strong and smart’... That was inside them already... that sense of being strong and smart resides in every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child.”
Dr Chris Sarra
Believe in the child’s abilities and it will reflect in them.
Torres Strait Islanders are a Melanesian sea-faring people whose traditional country comprises 48,000 square kilometers of shallow waters and more than 250 islands of differing geological formation, of which 14 are inhabited. Culturally, the islands are divided into five groups, represented by the five-pointed star on the Torres Strait flag:
• Top Western Islands
• Western Islands
• Lower Western Islands
• Central Islands
• Eastern Islands
There are two distinct language groups:
• Meriam Mir, part of the Papuan language family, is spoken in the eastern islands
• Kala Lagaw Ya, part of the Australian language family, is spoken in the western, central, and northern islands
About the Torres Strait people and culture
Islander culture stretches back nearly 8,000 years, when rising sea levels flooded the land bridge between Australia and Papua New Guinea at the end of the last Ice Age.
Like Aboriginal people of mainland Australia, Torres Strait Islanders are traditionally agriculturalists and food is supplemented through fishing, hunting and gathering. Cooking and hunting is distinct to the culture and is taught from a young age. More recent post-colonial history has seen new cultural influences.
The people of the Torres Strait have a long history of developing stories, traditional ceremony, crafts, feasting and games, including:
• traditional dancing styles performed at celebrations storytelling and music (such as singing and drumming) passed down from generation to generation.
• tombstone opening ceremony
• rites of passage ceremony.
Children who identify as Torres Strait Islander need to be connected to their culture, their people and their community or Island. Torres Strait Islander people also have a strong cultural and traditional connection to the sea.
About The MacKillop InstituteAbout The MacKillop Institute The MacKillop Institute provides a suite of evidence-informed programs and services to support those who have experienced change, adversity, loss, grief and trauma. Our programs include Seasons for Growth, Stormbirds, Seasons for Healing, ReLATE, the Sanctuary model and Power to Kids. We’re a part of MacKillop Family Services. The Institute was established to share the experience, expertise, and evidence-based programs of MacKillop Family Services with the wider community.
About the artist, Melanie MundrabyAbout the artist, Melanie MundrabyMelanie is a descendant of the Djirrbal Nations and Yidinji Peoples of Ravenshoe and Atherton Tablelands, on her paternal side. On the maternal side, she is a descendant of the Coastal Yidinji Rainforest to Sea Peoples Cairns and Lama Lama Peoples of Cape York Peninsula.
Melanie’s Aboriginal name is NGWORLIE which means platypus. From her Djirrbal grandmother, she has been taught through cultural stories about both of her respective families about her cultural heritage. Her art covers fresh water and salt water animals and family members’ Aboriginal identities. Ngworlie has been taught about female hunting and gathering pursuits and pandanus jewellery weaving from her grandmothers from both cultural heritages. She has been taught Djirrbal languages through songs for kids.
Melanie has spent her growing up years on Yarrabah Aboriginal Community, Mossman Community, Ravenshoe Town, Milla Milla, Malanda. She relocated to Sydney as a young adult and now resides in Brisbane. Throughout all this, Melanie has always used her artistic ability to showcase her cultural heritage. Melanie was encouraged at a young age to begin her artistic Aboriginal pursuits by her brother Nathan who is noted Aboriginal Artist “MIDIN”.
237 Cecil Street South Melbourne VIC 3205
(03) 8687 7448
mackillopinstitute.org.au