Film - Richard Frankland and Golden Seahorse Productions, 'Stories of the Land' (excerpt from Baranjuk - Musk Duck: The Wally Cooper story), Koorie Heritage Trust

See all this land, all round here, this is all Yorta Yorta land. The trees, all these reeds, everything, this is all our country this is all, this is the creator, the creator give us this. Yolungoo he gave us this land and he made this land for us, for all our tribal people, for my ancestors, for our ancestors. 2,600 generations of our people were living here, since the time, that’s how far we can go back with our traditional drawings and our traditional artwork and our dancing, that’s how far we can go is over 2,600 generations. That’s a long time. And this lake, see this Barmah lake over here, that there Barmah Lake, my ancestors, our ancestors the Yorta Yorta people, 25,000 years ago they saw this lake being created. This lake was made when the land tilted. It rose 30 metres just back over up in the Moira Forest over there going towards, when you look around, as you go up toward Deniliquin, the land tilted up 30 meters to the north east of here and that’s how…this lake, the Barmah Lake, the Moira Lake, and that’s how all that came. And that funny you know, you see our ancestors they seen this happen and this is part of our history.

Film - Koorie Heritage Trust and Kimba Thompson, 'Spirituality' (Excerpt from Wominjeka (Welcome)), Koorie Heritage Trust

At the heart of Koori identity is the understanding that land and people are one, made of the same earth. In our spirituality people are not put on the land to dominate it but to ensure its continuity. We are the brothers and sisters to the animals we share the land with. Our totems, whether they are eagle, snake or black cockatoo are spiritual reflections as sacred as a relative. The place in which we are born, where our people come from, is forever home country.

Film - Richard Frankland and John Foss, 'The Land' (excerpt from Lady of the Lake), Koorie Heritage Trust

This land’s my life. This land is me and I am the land, you know, an’ so it is too with all our people. So it is with all our people. You can see that the expressions on their faces an’ that when they walk across the country…how much they love it an’ I don’t think that will ever die because kids an’ that are beginning to understand now who we are an’ things like that. They’re being taught at school a different sort of a history about Aboriginal people or none at all, but when they see these places and know what’s happened there, like when our people fought an’ died on the land, I think that really makes them realise who they are, that they’re Aboriginal people…an’ they’ve got a heritage. There was blood spilled in the ground all over the place, here in Victoria an’ a lot of it hasn’t been recorded. There’s a map with massacre sites an’ things like that on it but I mean, we have still survived all that sort of thing an’ we are living in the future as well…but you can’t have the future without the history of the past an’ that’s where we wrap it up as people, because we can quote the past history and talk about the future, the things that we want for our kids an’ the things that’s gonna’ happen…because it’s that fighting force of the Gunditjmara that pushes these things ahead an’ into place. I mean we wouldn’t be doin’ nothin’ like this if it didn’t mean anything, you know. It’s telling the world that there are people here that have a proud heritage. They survived as a nation an’ we are a nation within a nation an’ that’s where we’re coming from…we are still our people. I would say to them, the Gunditjmara children, stand strong because who you are, is a people of this earth an’ this place belongs to you. Never mind letting people tell you that you’re no good or Aboriginal people are no good, you are who you are an’ you’re a unique person because you’re standing on the rights of your great Aboriginal forefathers an’ it’s coming from grass roots level who you are as a person…an’ that’s what I say to these kids, love each another, as I said at my birthday party, love each other an’ keep company with each other an’ know each other as brother and sister an’ that’s what’s got to happen.

Film - 'Spirit' (excerpt from Lady of the Lake), Koorie Heritage Trust

You can see the beauty that was here when the Great Ones were here. That’s what I call our tribal mothers an’ fathers an’ you can see the spirituality that must have been here to keep them here an’ what we still feel now as we come to this revered place…because this was the home of our great ones an’ the enjoyment that they had with the lake and the swans an’ things like that that were around them an’ the food that they could gather, even thought it looks a rough terrain and everything else with rocks here there an’ everywhere, this was the thing that made their home, these rocks, an’ their spirituality to me is still here because of the things that are here that belonged to them The fish traps and other things, the swans that were everywhere, the food that was here, all these things to me…the wonderful world of my great ancestors the aboriginal people, the Kerrupjmara, that lived here…an’ died here as well because there was running fights everywhere here. We are probably standing on the body of somebody underneath these rocks an’ things like that…an’ that’s a thing that I don’t think we should ever forget that…that there was blood running everywhere in this land that belonged to our people but there is also a beauty here that I don’t think anywhere can match. You can talk about other parts but to me this is the most revered place that you could ever wish to see…is all this beauty that’s here with us an’ the way that people explore it and see it an’ they could never see it through the eyes of the Aboriginal people. To me that’s the greatest thing you could ever ask for a homeland because even though third, fourth, fifth sixth, whatever generation you like, will come here an’ know this was the place of the grass roots level an’ that’s what I feel.

Film - Richard Frankland and John Foss, 'The Lake Stony Rises' (excerpt from Lady of the Lake), Koorie Heritage Trust

This place here is part of the lake. But it was big. It was really big, and there used to be a lot of water fowl, like swans, and ducks, and everything else, were around here now. You can hear their voices, swans as they're calling to each other, or whatever they're doing. And in the time of my people, when they roamed around this area, the lake was the thing that fed them, and the birds, and the fish, and things like that, they didn't have to move away from the area to look for food, because it was right within their back door, as you might as well say.

And I can remember the time at the mission when that swamp there too was full of ducks, and swans, and everything else. And Dad and Uncle Chrissy used to go down and get a swan's egg for breakfast, and we'd have a swan's egg for breakfast, everybody would have. And that egg would feed about six kids anyway, and make a scrambled egg out of it. We loved swan's eggs.

But they never took a lot. They'd only take enough for say, breakfast, or something like that. And it was the same with all the food that they had. It was only something for the need at that moment.

Film - Richard Frankland and John Foss, 'Uncle Peter Ewart' (excerpt from Lady of the Lake), Koorie Heritage Trust

The most thing I know about Uncle Peter Ewart was when my dad's father went shooting, Grandfather Lovett went shooting through the forest. And he came upon this big eagle on the tree, and he was going to shoot him. And the eagle put up a claw, like that, and Grandfather never shot him. So when he came back to the mission, Uncle Peter Ewart said to him, you nearly shot me today Jimmy.

And Grandfather said, no. He said, I didn't see you. But he said, did you see that big eagle, he said, that put his claw up, he said, when you were aiming the gun? He said, that was me. Now, that old man was miles away at that time that grandfather left to go shooting. So how could he know all these things happened in that space of time? And even from Dunmore, over here, they asked him if he wanted to go to the football, and he'd say, no. I'll be there.

I'll be there. And he was. He'd be there before they went, and they'd be traveling in a horse and gig. He'd be walking, but he'd be there before they were at the gate.

Film - Richard Frankland and John Foss, 'Walking the Land' (excerpt from Lady of the Lake), Koorie Heritage Trust

Sundays we’d walk from …Greenvale… Greenvale right through an’ pick people…Mmm…up all the way along, hey, an’ oh we’d have a beautiful time, an’ Aunty Fanny an’ them would have dinner an’ that ready. We’d have sing songs an’ play marbles or do whatever an’ it was beautiful….Yeah…an’ that was our get-together for the week. Every Sunday…Every Sunday it was…an’ that sort of combined us more as a family too, because we walked over the land, sort of thing, with each other. Well, walking the land is important to us because we love the land an’ we know the land…the land talks to us... Chrissie don’t it?...mmm…sings songs an’ talks to us, it does. Even the birds tell us things about the land, they do. Mopoke’s a bad fella, comes out in the night, hey…I like ‘im though….ah yeah he should be...yeah…he’s got to be there…he’s got to be there… but he’s one of the birds too, that tells you things. When the mopoke calls your name…mmm… an’ you know you’re gone…you’re gone and nothing can stop you…nothing can stop you, because that’s what he is…that’s his business. This is the spirituality that we’ve got an’ we walk this land and we listen an’ we see’ em all…mmm…an’ hear ‘em all, we’re sisters...an’ because we love the land, we get messages from this and that.

Film - Koorie Heritage Trust and Kimba Thompson, 'Food and Medicine' (excerpt from Wominjeka (Welcome)), Koorie Heritage Trust

In Victoria’s temperate climate, our ancestors could quite easily satisfy their every need. The swamps, river valleys and coastal strips supported an affluent life. Food was available all year round and could be obtained quickly because of the richness of the land.

Well the men done most of the huntin’ an’ the women done the food gatherin’, like the berries or yams an’ grubs an’ stuff like that…an’ the children but the men done the biggest, the majority of the hunting like the kangaroos an’ the emus…an’ there was no sweets, it was just all hard, clean tucker and all cooked in its own juices. When I was a kid you’d just go down to the river an’ catch a fish or go and dive for turtles or mussels an’ the old girls’d knock a damper. So that was good food, well you know, it was … our people lived for years on it. There was no sickness and that ‘til the whites came into this country, no, our food was top food.

I think aboriginal people in those early days, you know, they had a wide choice of whatever it is they wanted to eat.

You’ve got your fish, you’ve got your clay, you’ve got everything, you know, it’s just so simple, you know. We had a simple lifestyle but effective lifestyle, there was something, everything had a purpose. Ready to go in…

…and as you lift the meat off and you see the…an’ as you see, the skin still sticks to the clay and it just stays on the clay and you have these nice pieces of meat and it just tastes so lovely…it’s just beautiful.

There were a lot of plants, you know, wide and varied amounts of plants that they could eat and they didn’t want for, as far as vegetation goes, they had plenty of plant life.

………..Singing

When it came to ailments like headaches, stomach aches or a rash, people treated themselves. Everyone was taught to deal with wounds and fevers and to set broken bones. Family members cared for one another’s injuries. People use aromatic plants such as River Mint and Old Man Weed for coughs, colds and chest complaints.

Old Man Weed or Sneezeweed is considered a cure-all by Aboriginal people all over Victoria.

Eucalypt gum and any bark containing tannin helped cure stomach complaints and burns.

Film - Koorie Heritage Trust and Kimba Thompson, 'Uncle Herb Plays Gumleaf' (excerpt from Wominjeka (Welcome)), Koorie Heritage Trust

I had 13 bird calls in there, and the one particular bird that I concentrated on today is the black cockatoo, the black red tail, black cockatoo. This is how it sounds.

[WHISTLING]

Film - Richard Frankland and Golden Seahorse Productions, 'Baranjuk: Creation Stories' (excerpt from Baranjuk), Koorie Heritage Trust

Music give you the energy, the life to go on and that’s why we do our music and do our traditional corroborees and it’s very important to learn and it’s a traditional way of showing it here. Like the drawings we do on the cement back there are part of the drawings that we do on the sand that my ancestors have done for over, like I said before, over 2,600 generations and that’s what we do. This here, all this around here, is part of my Yorta Yorta, of my descendants land and my heritage and this is all part of what’s you. It’s you, it’s me and that’s what it’s all part of, its part of our heritage, its part of showing our traditional way of life. OK. What do you reckon, we’ll have some fun today or what? Good stuff, good on yah.

Now we’re going to be talking about a story, a very strong, a very powerful story about a very strong human being, he changed himself, later on he changed himself into a serpent. And after he got everybody together he come along and he said right all you people must come together now and all you people must learn the stories of the land. Now the important part was the stories of the land, was the living ,was the animals, was the rocks was the trees and they were all part of our traditional heritage. A tree had a meaning, had a special place, a rock had a special place and even to a little, even the grass and even to the plain and they all had special areas, special places to be. Now this is what, the story goes that where Yolngoo took his people to the mountain and he said you all must come to me and you must listen to me. So what he did, we all come together, went up into the mountains and we started to listen and he started to tell em about a special place, like you’ve got the rivers. You got a special place of the tribal people live on the rivers. In our area there are five different tribes, you live on the river, your tribe lives on the plains, your tribe will live over here near the swamps and your tribe will live further down along on the river. That was an important part of the source of life, of knowing and creating life and creating the fish and creating the trees and making the places, our quarries where we get our ochres from.

Film - Richard Frankland and Golden Seahorse Productions, 'Baranjuk: Dance' (excerpt from Baranjuk), Koorie Heritage Trust

This is part of our traditional ochre colours, white ochre that we gather from around the area up here and we’re painting it on the boys with a brush because its just the same as what we’re doing. This is their markings, this is Jessie and Kevin’s original markings for their dancing and these are the markings they use all the time. ‘Cos this is the markings of the young boys, of the people, young boys learning their art and this is the way we paint them up. An’ we paint them up like this an’ the reason for the bands around here and then we put the lines down here like this, is the part of the Emu. There we go. And the feathers on the belt here represent our flight in to our traditional ancestral. That’s why we put feathers on them because they look like, the feathers represent the animal, the white feathers are the spirit, the yellow feathers are the sun, means the life, and the Emu , also got the Emu feathers on there. The yellow ones is the life of the sun, and the white is… the white spirit. An’ that’s why we paint em up like that and put them on there like that where they represent the spirit when their dancing. OK? Now do you want to have a look … to sit down on your rug over there? Sit down on your rug. This is part of it, this is another part of Jess’s, of his dress. Come here Jess and just put this on here. Look how we look on him here. Put him on here and turn him around that way, give us a look at yer. There you go and you can hang on to that there. We can sit you down just over there for a minute and you’re looking good there.

Turn him round there…you turn round for that…that’s the boy. I’ll put the head bands an’ put our feathers on. Now we’re putting…we’re going to put our tapes of feathers on our legs. We’re going to get those ones over there. So get those lines down there. There we are up the Barmah Lake and we’re going to practice some of our traditional dance and it’s pretty important to us what we’re doing here today ‘cause we got to be here…this is our land we’re on our land and we’re up here to do our traditional dancing. So the boys are going to dance the Emu dance for us here to day and they’re going to be going the Kangaroo dance, the Magic Boomerang and Sonny will be doing one of his own traditional dances here today. Now something is very important for us to be dancing on our soil, this is Cumeragunja, this is Yorta Yorta country and this’s where we’re going to do our traditional dancing. So the boys will be starting off with the Emu dance. Now the Emu dance is one of our very traditional dances and we start off with the Emu and we start to go …(?)

It shows the young fellows, it shows the young lads, how we go out, track down the Emu, how we actually find them and eventually slaying them and the bringing em back to camp and dividing em’ up with family. Now the boys that are walking round here, this is how the young people were taught their traditional dancing. They were taught how to, the elders would be out dancing with them, they’ll be just sitting down probably on a bank of the river or the Lake, as we’re doing it here today, and they’ll be just sitting down there and watching and that’s how they learn is by watching. An’ that how I learned, is by watching an’ getting up and having a go and by teaching and this is part of what we do is we teach the young people and we teach em’ how to find the animal, how become the animal, how to catch the animal and how to gather the food. This is how we basically of how we do it do it for food gathering, for our traditional way of life, for gathering our food and for being part of that.

Right Kangaroo…Paul…Kangaroo. That’s it, nice and steady, that’s the way, that’s the way, good one there you go that’s the way, good one. These are other parts of doing our dancing and finding out how we get it together and how we get close to the animals and that’s why we do our dancing like that, to get close, to come close to the animals, to eventually spear them, to bring em’ home for food. But that’s why we teach the dancing, the dancing is very important of knowing how to survive, how to gather your food, how to become close to the animal, to be part of that animal. That’s the way…That’ll do.

The dance that you are looking at now, what we’re doing, is called the Magic Boomerang It shows how the hunter or the dancer puts the magic into the boomerang to make it fly and it has to come back not as, just as a killer boomerang, as a returning boomerang and to put the magic in it. The first boomerang to ever fly was called the Magic Boomerang and this dance shows you of how they put the magic in the boomerang to make it come back. …………..(?)

Film - Clive Atkinson, 'The Land is your mother', Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI)

The land is your mother. You are born to the land and go back to the land. I’ve always considered Echuca my home. The word Echuca means ‘the meeting of the waters’ in the native tough of my people, the Yorta Yorta tribe. The Murray River has a deep connection to my heart, I belong to it. No matter how far I’ve travelled over the world, I will always belong to this country an’ my people. I grew up on the Mooroopna flats on the banks of the Goulburn River near Shepparton. When the river would flood we would be forced to relocate to a dry area near the local tip. At that time the indigenous communities were not allowed to settle in the main part of the town. Conditions were appalling with no sewerage system or running water. Thankfully my father got a job in Echuca and moved the family from the flats in 1946. My parents wanted us kids to have an education an’ gain the opportunities that they never themselves ever had. I discovered my passion for art while at Primary School. My mother would take my drawings, frame them and enter them into local art exhibitions where I would regularly win First Prize over local adult artists. A little later on down the track I became the first Koori in Victoria the have a qualification in Graphic Design. I then travelled overseas and undertook my real apprenticeship in becoming a capable and confident designer. By the time I returned to Australia I could practically walk into any studio and fulfil a creative brief. After being a ‘gun for hire’ an’ Art Director in Melbourne for 8 years, I finally decided to set up my own company Advertite in 1980. Advertite grew very quickly from a two man operation to a large company that employed 24 people. We supplied design for all the major advertising agencies within Melbourne. But sometimes success has a price and after my first marriage broke down I sold my share of the business and moved back to Echuca. Being drawn once again to the river, I bought a 150 acre property near the Goulburn and Murray River. It was a funny feeling knowing I was purchasing the land that my people, the Yorta Yorta, traditionally already owned, but with the purchase of “Mirrimbeena” I found a serenity that had long been missing from my life. A sacred place for me to build a home and a family, a place that gives me creative freedom and endless inspiration. I will always come back home. I love the smell of the trees, the dust and the flies.