Debra Couzens, Vicki Couzens, Lee Darroch and Treahna Hamm revived their communities' craft of cloak-making. Comprises tools, artworks, ornaments and two magnificently worked possum skin cloaks.vii, 64 p. : chiefly col. ill., map, ports. ; 18 cm.ISBN 1876944366aboriginal culture, possum skin cloaks

My name is Tammy Gilson and I am a descendant of Wadawurrung people on Mums side, Marlene Gilson and my dear Nan, Rita Fagan from the Dalton line of our apical ancestor, John Robinson. For that I pay my respects and acknowledge my ancestors and all Elders. In Wadawurrung wurru, meaning language, the wurru name of a cloak walert walert signifies the reclaiming of language that hasn’t been spoken fluently since colonisation. Wadawurrung kinkinbil people relied on possum fur to create cloaks to wear for warmth, ceremony, adornments and medicine. Possum fur was used widely amongst neighbouring First Peoples particularly from colder parts of Victoria given the harshness of climate and particularly in Gordon where the elevation is 650m above sea level. The walert walert denotes a continuum of cultural practice and identity, can be viewed as secret and sacred and today viewed as contemporised practice of history acknowledging transfer of knowledge, practice and kinship. My experience of possum skin cloak revival was in 2014 through Traditional Ceremony, Tanderrum, where I was chosen to make several cloaks to be worn by the Elders including my Mum. This is where I learnt technique and design elements that remain present and relevant to lived experience. My work is an example of how culture and connection gives purpose and embeds a beautiful sense of belonging. Each design panel holds a visual voice, a narrative that speaks to identity and kinship. Symbols and line work are found on old artefacts that indicate belonging to Wadawurrung people. The water marks and mountain patterns were passed on to me from Mum and her grandma. Continuing this practice is for future generations as the walert walert holds significant healing properties. Making them and sharing knowledge aims to strengthen our Culture and bring family together. There is nothing like a good yarn while sewing or weaving and this is what the Elders do, and my ancestors always did together, sitting around sharing their way and teaching. Possum skin cloak consisting of twenty four pelts, stitched together with thread. Cloak features Wadawurrung designs in red, orange, white and black ochre.possum skin cloak, wadawurrung, first peoples, culture, tammy gilson, identity, tradition, design, walert walert

Gold representation of an Aborigine wearing a possum skin cloak holding a spear, with kangaroo, emu and platypus.aborigine, aboriginal, kangaroo, platypus, emu, possum skin cloak

My name is Tammy Gilson and I am a descendant of Wadawurrung people on Mums side, Marlene Gilson and my dear Nan, Rita Fagan from the Dalton line of our apical ancestor, John Robinson. For that I pay my respects and acknowledge my ancestors and all Elders. In Wadawurrung wurru, meaning language, the wurru name of a cloak walert walert signifies the reclaiming of language that hasn’t been spoken fluently since colonisation. Wadawurrung kinkinbil people relied on possum fur to create cloaks to wear for warmth, ceremony, adornments and medicine. Possum fur was used widely amongst neighbouring First Peoples particularly from colder parts of Victoria given the harshness of climate and particularly in Gordon where the elevation is 650m above sea level. The walert walert denotes a continuum of cultural practice and identity, can be viewed as secret and sacred and today viewed as contemporised practice of history acknowledging transfer of knowledge, practice and kinship. My experience of possum skin cloak revival was in 2014 through Traditional Ceremony, Tanderrum, where I was chosen to make several cloaks to be worn by the Elders including my Mum. This is where I learnt technique and design elements that remain present and relevant to lived experience. My work is an example of how culture and connection gives purpose and embeds a beautiful sense of belonging. Each design panel holds a visual voice, a narrative that speaks to identity and kinship. Symbols and line work are found on old artefacts that indicate belonging to Wadawurrung people. The water marks and mountain patterns were passed on to me from Mum and her grandma. Continuing this practice is for future generations as the walert walert holds significant healing properties. Making them and sharing knowledge aims to strengthen our Culture and bring family together. There is nothing like a good yarn while sewing or weaving and this is what the Elders do, and my ancestors always did together, sitting around sharing their way and teaching. 9144.1 - Digital colour film featuring Wadawurrung woman Tammy Gilson speaking about the walert walert (possum skins cloak) she made for the National Wool Museum Collection, and the cultural practice of making cloaks. Film is 7 minutes and 3 seconds in length. 9144.2 - Digital colour film featuring Wadawurrung woman Tammy Gilson speaking about the designs which feature on the walert walert she made for the National Wool Museum Collection. Film is 14 minutes in length.possum skin cloak, wadawurrung, first peoples, culture, tammy gilson, identity, tradition, design, walert walert

Black soft covered book. Contents include: Timeline, merger between University of Ballarat and the Ballarat School of Mines, David Battersby, Jacinta Allan, Robert R. T. Smith, 2020 Vision and Agenda, Peter Gell, IBM, Technology Park, Geoffrey Blainey, Karen Douglas, John Brumby, Graduation Procession, David Waldron, Robyn Brandenburg, beer awards, Victoria Mitchell, VIOSH 30th anniversary, Fadi Charcher, Colin Trembath, Ballarat Railway Station, Shelley Nash, James Coglan. Ballarat Foundation, Sandra Herbert, Horsham, possum skin cloak. university of ballarat, ballarat school of mines, battersby, david battersby, jacinta allan, university of ballarat timeline, robert h.t. smith, geoffrey blainey, karen douglas, academic procession, john brumby, australasian international beer awards, david waldron, robyn brandenberg, colin trembath, shelley nash, sandra herbert, possum skin cloak diana nikkelson, kelly barrett, bianca nikkelson

William Buckley was an escaped convict who lived with the Waddawurrung.Image of William Buckley wearing a possum skin cloak and wearing two spears.william buckley, aborigines, aboriginal, wuddawurrung

AboriginalGroup of Aboriginals seated on tree trunk, woman in possum skin cloak. Buggys in backgroundCarrs Plains

When he died at Camperdown in February 1883, Wombeetch Puyuun, also known as 'Camperdown George', was the last member of the Liwira Gundidj clan of the Djargurd Wurrung still living on Country.Image of Wombeetch Puyuun (Camperdown George) wearing traditional possum skin cloak and holding a walking stick Back: George Camperdowncdhs, wombeetch puyuun, djargurd wurrung, djargurdwurrung, camperdown george

Line image of a Corroboree of Victorian Aborigines.aborigines, aboriginal, corroboree, celebration, dancing, camping, campfire, possum skin cloak

Digitised directly from 'Blackfellows of Australia' by Charles Barrett and A.S. Kenyon (Sun Books)Aboriginal woman in possum skin cloak and holding a boomerang and spears. Woven baskets and a boomerang sit at her feet.aborigine, aboriginal, queen mary, fred kruger

Digitised directly from 'Blackfellows of Australia' by Charles Barrett and A.S. Kenyon (Sun Books)Black and white depiction of an Aboriginal woman wearing a possum skin cloak. She is Yarruun Parpur Tarneen of the Morporr Tribe, Victoria aborigine, aboriginal, yarruun parpur tarneen, morporr tribe

When he died at Camperdown in February 1883, Wombeetch Puyuun, also known as 'Camperdown George', was the last member of the Liwira Gundidj clan of the Djargurd Wurrung still living on Country.Image of Wombeetch Puyuun (Camperdown George) wearing traditional possum skin cloak and holding a spear at Lake Gnotuk, Camperdown, Victoriacdhs, wombeetch puyuun, djargurd wurrung, djargurdwurrung, camperdown george

When he died at Camperdown in February 1883, Wombeetch Puyuun (Camperdown George) (c1820-1883), was the last member of the Liwura Gundidj clan of the Djargurd Wurrung, still living on Country.Black and white studio photograph of Wombeetch Puyunn (Camperdown George) in traditional dress wearing a headband, kangaroo tooth necklace and possum skin cloak, holding a boomerang and carved shield Back: WOMBEETCH PUUYUUN, CHIEF, AND LAST OF THE LOCAL TRIBEScdhs, djargurd wurrung, djargurdwurrung, cdhsfirstnations

For the First Peoples of south-eastern Australia, making possum skin cloaks has long been a culturally important practice. But during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, possums and other native animals were also heavily hunted by white colonists who coveted their warm and fashionable furs. This rug, made from fifteen possum pelts, was used in a Brighton home during cold winter months in the 1920s.Possum skin rug made from 15 rectangular cut pelts mounted onto a brown wool felt with cut scalloped edges. possum skin, rug, fur, 1920s

Standing proud, still here, the spirit of ten ancestral matriarchs adorned in contemporary ceremonial cloaks. Representing our women past, present and future, her Spirit, our culture, our Country (spelt with a capital for its importance and this is part of First Peoples protocols on acknowledging Country, our strength, our resilience and healing towards a sustainable future). The circle and diamond pattern are ancient symbols used by Wadawurrung people dating pre-colonisation on possum skin and kangaroo skin cloaks, other artefacts like spear heads (carved), wooden shields, stone tools and caves were painted with blood, ochre and bound with grass tree sap, black wattle tree sap and kangaroo fats. The diamond pattern was a strong design used by men on shields and women on baskets and adornments. Shields were taken from the tree in the colder months when the tree was cold as the wood came off cleaner. Ochre colours of red, white, yellow and charcoal were often used to colour in and decorate the skin side of possum skin cloaks, wooden shields, spear heads, baskets and some coolamon bowls.The design for this cloak has been simplified from the original artefact design.Cloak with black and white diamond and circle design on outer cloak and coral and white line pattern within lining. Trimming is solid black. Cloak is machine sewn and handstitched with hand stitching on shoulder seam.deanne gilson, wadawurrung, first nations, cloak

"The breeze going through the eel trap gives a feeling of water flowing through the vessel with the feathers softly waiving as the water flows. My grandfather Nicholas Couzens and my uncles made eel traps to fish the Hopkins River - this is how my mother learnt the techniques which she passed on to me."Bronwyn RAZEM Gunditjmara/Kirrae Whurrong Bronwyn Razem is an Indigenous Australian basket weaver and painter. She is a Gunditjmara woman of the Kirrae Whurrong clan of western Warrnambool on the Victorian coastline. Bronwyn’s practice involves an exploration of her Indigenous heritage and identity, and she creates symbolic representations of places and events that are meaningful to her family. She integrates ochres, sand and other materials into her paintings, and her works also draw on the possum skin cloak traditions of her ancestors. In 2008, Bronwyn was chosen by the Australia Council for the Arts to be part of a delegation of Indigenous artists to attend the 10th Pacific Arts Festival in Western Samoa. Bronwyn’s mother, Aunty Zelda Couzens, was a well-respected basket weaver and elder who taught Bronwyn basket-making techniques. Bronwyn now regularly conducts basket weaving workshops with Victorian Indigenous communities in order to facilitate the revival of cultural traditions. She has a Bachelor of Arts with Honours at Deakin University, and in 2008 she was enrolled in a Master by Research degree at Deakin Institute of Koorie Education, Geelong, and was living in Ballarat. (https://www.daao.org.au/bio/bronwyn-razem/biography/, accessed 18 April 2016) This item is part of the Federation University Art Collection. The Art Collection features over 1000 works and was listed as a 'Ballarat Treasure' in 2007.Bronwyn RAZEM (1953- ) Gunditjmara/Kirraw Wurrong A woven New Zealand flax eel trap with emu feathers. This work won the University of Ballarat Acquisitive Award for work reflecting Victoria's Western District. The judges were impressed by Bronwyn Razem's translation of the traditional eel trap into a sculptural form evocative of the flow of water and possible the passage of time. The design and technical knowhow which Razem inherited from her mother, uncles, and grandfather connects this work to the family;s life and traditions. She then enhances the simplicity of this very functional object by the addition of delicate emu feathers, creating a work that creatively and symbolically transcends its original form. art, artwork, bronwyn razem, razem, eel trap, aboriginal, indigenous, available

Aimed at primary aged children, contains stories, activities and information to assist in education the young person.games, colour illustrationswurundjeri, woi wurrung, stories, activities for children, educational resources, possum skin cloaks, primary school education