Connecting the community to natural values & resources in the landscape
Indigenous values workshops with Rod Mason
Did you know?
Local Aboriginal people cultivated ‘yam daisy gardens’,
reconstituted and moved soil around the landscape, encouraged the survival of
‘fruit orchards’ for their pigeons, practiced water conservation, burnt areas
in particular ways to unlock seed stores, and cultivated grasses, bush lettuce
and water parsley?
This was all part of their traditional knowledge of the flora and
fauna and its flow through the landscape in the different seasons. This
knowledge served to sustain their resources which they used for food,
medicine, fiber (for carrying tools and food), and shelter.
About Rod Mason
The workshop will be led by Rod Mason, respected Ngarigo elder and
natural resource scientist, and formerly with NSW National Park and Wildlife
Service.
Rod emphases learning by doing and reconnecting people to the
natural and cultural resources in our region and “on farm”. He aims to create
a better understanding of our (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) shared
culture/heritage/biodiversity values.
These workshops are likely to change completely your understanding
of nature and our grassy ecosystems in particular, and to change your approach
to conservation.
Workshop 1: Making string, glue and baskets (Thurs-Fri, 10-11 March, Garuwanga)
Learn:
· How to find, gather, dry and prepare materials.
· How to make string, glue and baskets, important tools and equipment
for Indigenous people.
· How to identify plants, their properties and ecology (where to find
them and when), and the significance of these plants to Aboriginal people.
· The language used for them and how the plants form part of
Aboriginal living and culture.
Workshop 2: Resource flows in the landscape (Wed-Thurs 20-21 April, Garuwanga)
Learn:
· How the plants and fauna respond to the different seasons - six
seasons.
· How to identify animals and plants, their properties and ecology
(where to find them and when), and the significance of these plants to
Aboriginal people.
The language used for them and how the plants form part of
Aboriginal living and culture.
Target audience
Rod Mason believes that the current landowners and managers should
know how our traditional peoples’ understand and manage our natural resources
and, assisted by that knowledge, restore the natural landscape function and
biodiversity.
Therefore any custodians or carers of Country are welcome to attend
the workshop and to learn.
Date, time & costs
The dates chosen are Thurs-Fri, 10-11 March, and Wed-Thurs, 20-21
April, from 9.30 sharp to 4.30 each day.
The cost is $25 for lunches and morning and afternoon tea. For
those wishing to stay at Garuwanga before, during or after the workshop,
accommodation is free.
Garuwanga
Garuwanga (Ngarigo for Dreaming) is a 700ha property managed for landscape function, biodiversity
and cultural heritage, twelve kilometers from Nimmitabel. It is the venue for
many FOG workshops and field days. Many other groups have also used it. It has
ample and reasonably comfortable accommodation available.
To inquire and register
Please contact Geoff Robertson (g or 02 6241 4065).
Future activities
More workshops are planned for later in 2011 and 2012 and we hope
that the workshops will facilitate additional land restoration work based on
Indigenous practice.
Organisation and support
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lang=en-AU>se workshops are organised by Friends of Grasslands, assisted by
Geoffrey Simpson and Rod Mason and supported by Kosciuszko to Coast
partnership and the Murrumbidgee Catchment Authority.
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lang=en-AU>They are generously sponsored by m("Arial","'"); Unicode MS'; mso-devanagari-font-family: Unicode MS'; mso-bengali-font-family: Unicode MS'; mso-gurmukhi-font-family: Unicode MS'; mso-oriya-font-family: Unicode MS'; mso-tamil-font-family: Unicode MS'; mso-telugu-font-family: Unicode MS'; mso-kannada-font-family: Unicode MS'; mso-malayalam-font-family: Unicode MS'; mso-lao-font-family: Unicode MS'; mso-georgian-font-family: Unicode MS'; mso-hangul-font-family: Unicode MS'; mso-kana-font-family: Unicode MS'; mso-bopomofo-font-family: Unicode MS'; mso-han-font-family: Unicode MS'; mso-halfwidthkana-font-family: Unicode MS'"
lang=en-AU>Connecting the community to natural values and resources in the
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