Nawi Boorun’s canoe

‘Boorun’s canoe’ is Boorun the Pelican, our Gunai ancestor, As an Australian of European descent, came to carrying a bark canoe and a photographic artist, this project a collaborative arts project on his head. Canoes are part of our story was about making a connection with reviving the traditional of who we are and where we come from. Gunai/Kurnai Aboriginal culture, practice of bark-canoe I want to respect my ancestors by and then sharing that story with the continuing the tradition of canoe making public in a responsible and visually making in Gippsland, . and safeguard it for future generations interesting way. Aboriginal artist Steaphan Aboriginal artist Steaphan Paton Photographic artist Cam Cope Paton and photographic artist Cameron Cope based the project around the transfer of

traditional knowledge from Steaphan Paton afloat on the canoe that elders to young men. is an essential part of his people’s traditions, their creation story. Photography by Cam Cope This article is a transcript of their session at the Nawi conference in May, when they spoke and screened a video and photographic presentation.

12 Signals 100 September to november 2012 Signals 100 September to november 2012 13 Senior Gunai/Kurnai elder Uncle There's not many There are lots of mountains and rivers Albert Mullett, a master craftsman, taught and lakes, so canoes are an important his grandson Steaphan Paton and other people in the State feature of Indigenous culture. young men in the family to build a bark Uncle Albert (speaking from the video): canoe, with knowledge that was passed who have the Cherry Tree track is a very significant on to him from his uncles and elders. knowledge, it’s very area. Old fellows camping here and It follows a tradition that has been spearing fish and hunting ducks. About practised for many thousands of years important to pass five months ago, me and my eight by Gunai/Kurnai people. In a close grandsons went out and picked a tree collaboration with Uncle Albert and the it on and these things to make the bark canoe. Today is a special extended Mullett family, Cam Cope has have to be passed occasion for us, for me and my grandsons, produced a series of powerful images that we’re launching a stringy bark canoe. capture vital elements of cultural pride, on to the younger We’ll pour the water in, and see if it’s intergenerational knowledge and the generations. going to leak. If it’s going to leak… canoe-making process. we’ll just plug it as it goes. Steaphan and Cameron won a City of Senior Gunai/Kurnai elder I went to school for six months of my arts grant to fund the project Uncle Albert Mullett life, and I said, ‘Nuh’, I need to go and and their work has since been acquired by learn from my own people. I need to the Melbourne Museum for its permanent know things that are important to me as collection. The project has become the an Aboriginal boy, as a young Aboriginal major NAIDOC exhibition in Bunjilaka, man. I wanted to know about Lake Tyers, the Melbourne Museum’s Aboriginal and any elders who are present, and I wanted that knowledge and I paid Cultural Centre, July–November 2012. thanks to everyone for coming as well. respect at all times to those elders. I spent Steaphan Paton: Welcome everyone, What a gathering, with all the ideas, and a lot of time around the fire learning. I’m a Gunai Monaro man from stories coming together, it’s pretty cool. It’s so important that I teach my Victoria. I want to pay my respects My name’s Cam Cope, and I’m from grandsons, so that when my time is up to the Eora people, the traditional owners Gippsland. Steve and I actually went and I’ve gone, and my great grandsons, of this country we are meeting on today. to school together. I’m a European they will carry that on. That’s through our And all the elders who have travelled here Australian and the reason I got involved Mullett family. Young Gunai men are today, and the Aboriginal community in this project is that, growing up in the learning, and they will be able to teach who are here today. country, I always felt there was a bit that in their time, when they get to be Where I’m from, Boorun is the pelican, of a lack of connection in the community older men. So it’s very important in my so he is integral to our story of who we between European Australians and family. I feel very proud of those are, and where we come from. Boorun . I was always grandsons of mine. It’s teaching them travelled down into Gippsland, down curious about the history of the region about respect, and about learning about and about Aboriginal culture. I’ve always across the mountains to . their culture, and don’t be ashamed felt uncomfortable about the absence of He was carrying a canoe on his head and of it. Be proud of who they are, young acknowledgement of Aboriginal presence the whole time he was travelling he heard Aboriginal men, and they have a duty and place in Gippsland. this tapping on the top of the canoe. over time, to carry on what I’m doing To get some idea of the colonial history He couldn’t figure it out until he got now, so the story’s never going to end. of our region, it took me as a young adult to and put the canoe in the I think stories of Boorun come from to go to university and enrol in a unit water, and out came a Musk Duck which the west, carrying his bark canoe on his of Australian Aboriginal history. It was was a beautiful woman, and they became shoulder, carrying down the great lake a great course, run by Bain Attwood at mother and father of all Gunai people. to Port Albert, and he could hear this Monash University, and very eye opening, That’s our story of where we come from. tapping on the canoe, and when he put but it didn’t bring me any closer to With this project we wanted to bring the canoe down, it was Musk Duck, so finding out who the traditional owners the idea of that intergenerational they are the creators of the Gunai people. of Gippsland are. So, for me as a European knowledge and pass it on. It was passed Australian, this project was about Steaphan Paton (speaking from the on to Uncle Albert Mullett, my Pop, connecting with Aboriginal culture, video): My Pop told us that this area, previous pages 12–13: Traditionally the old fellas who can’t actually be here with us today. respect and getting involved. The process it’s a cultural place. It’s got stories kept a fire in the boat for fishing at night. He sends his greetings. That knowledge has been enriching and allowed me to feel attached to it. There’s so many rivers and Using bark-lit torches, they kept a small fire to was passed on to him by his elders in the relight torches or cook the fish. We do the same more comfortable with my own identity, lakes around here, that canoe is an traditional way, not from a book or an when we go spear fishing. The old fellas are in the way that I live together with essential part of our traditions and crafts, archaeologist. It’s from a traditional definitely there watching us. Indigenous people in Australia, with and things we should be paying our owner, the person who has this above: Prying off and collecting the bark is the people I respect. respect to, this culture and living it. knowledge. That’s what this project most intense stage of the process. It requires We’re going to show you a bunch of With Gunai people that canoe is a vital everybody to work together carefully. is about. This is about teaching young photographs that I’ve taken with Steve part of our creation story. One of the boys the knowledge that they should top right: Pop [Uncle Albert Mullett] makes sure and his family, while they made things that Pop always says to us is you that the bark is coming off the sapwood effectively. know. Now I’ll introduce you to Cameron, a traditional canoe, and we’re also going can’t get this from a book, you have he was my collaborator in this project. centre: Heating the bark sheet over a fire gives to show a short video. Unlike the other to get out there and do it, and it has to be the material plasticity for folding it into shape. taught by an elder who knows this stuff. Cam Cope: Thanks Steve, and before presentations there are no maps from right: Pop gets involved with a hands-on I say anything I’d also like to acknowledge us today, but Gippsland is the south- And that’s always been the way... working demonstration of the finer details. Most of the the Gadigal people and the Eora Nation, easternmost region of mainland Australia. with Pop to actually make a bark canoe time he just directs.

14 Signals 100 September to november 2012 Signals 100 September to november 2012 15 This significant project is reviving a tradition that was slowly or guide. So with these photographs getting lost. Having him come and share I’ve more focused on the people, and the shows the strength his knowledge is pretty special, I think. story and the pride of it, showing respect That vessel is holding our past, the to who they are. I’m not trying to own and pride in cultural mother and father of all Gunai people. what’s going on. I think the great thing knowledge being It’s a vessel that’s going to carry us into about our project was we had an open and the future as well, carry on these respectful dialogue that allowed us to find passed through the traditions and crafts and knowledge and the right way to work together. things like that. Bringing it out here and Steaphan Paton: On the day of making generations in south- actually using it in the water, the feeling the canoe, Cam was really good at getting that you get is kind of a deep respect, and eastern Australia, in among the action and getting up really better understanding for your country close, and capturing what was happening. along with the vital and for your elders who are teaching you So there are some really beautiful shots this stuff. This is about family, and this of people doing stuff, working together importance of is about knowledge, and passing that to tie up the ends of the canoe. We ended knowledge on. (Film ends) maintaining and up getting the clay off the road to plug the teaching culture within Steaphan Paton: I hope you enjoyed that. ends, it was really good clay. Now we’ll go through some of the pictures Cam Cope: That was one of several times that Cameron took in the actual building the community. I put the camera down and got involved. of the canoe, and talk about some of the Caroline Martin, Bunjilaka, And there’s probably a few photos that process and stories that came out of that. I missed because my hands are covered Melbourne Museum Maybe I’ll just say, there’s a lot of people in sticky resin. But I managed... talking about breathing life back into community and culture, and that’s Steaphan Paton: On the day we floated exactly what we’re trying to do. We’re it, it became a family event. We had trying to awaken and instil into people a BBQ, and Pop took us out into the bush some sort of spirit, and culture. I hope for and showed us how to make some spears. my brothers and cousins, that they take As he was taught, at that same place that knowledge on and use it. Pop was – the Cherry Tree Track in Gippsland, talking about respect and instilling which is just near Lake Tyers. For all the respect into them. I hope that that helps boys, everyone has done this stuff a little them in their general life, and being bit on their own, and everyone’s got a bit a young Aboriginal person. of a knack for working with wood. It goes When we built the canoe, it took over throughout our family, we’re a family a year to make. Well, it took about of artists. But to get that hands-on a weekend to actually build it, but we had knowledge and guidance from an elder, to wait until we had everyone around to show you how to do this stuff… to go and float it and get everything ready. you’ll never forget that knowledge. Because in the middle of our project, Cam Cope: We’d better say a couple Melbourne Museum came along and of thanks. To the Gunai/Kurnai Land wanted to help out and make this film. and Waters Corporation, the City So all of that threw a spanner in the of Melbourne who originally gave works for our timelines, but that’s great. us the grant, the Melbourne Museum who We floated it earlier this year in January, helped us out a lot, the Bunjilaka Culture but we actually built it the previous year Centre who have acquired the canoe and in spring. gave us the licence to use the images, Cam Cope: I might just add, I first came and the space for a four-month exhibition. to this project from a bit of a naïve Bunjilaka is redeveloping their permanent perspective. I spoke to Steve about the display and this project will be part possibility of doing a project like this. of that. We’re also hoping to get a book I wanted to connect with Indigenous published by Museum Victoria. Thanks culture in my own region, and when we too to Parks Victoria, the Mullett family talked about making a canoe, my initial and the Australian National Maritime reaction was to document the process; Museum for this conference.  I guess to have a white man’s way to look at it. But the more we spoke about it, the more the focus was on the process, which is a powerful part of [Indigenous] top: Pop shows us trees that are right for spear sticks, like his elders showed him. identity, and cultural pride. This was also Transcription by ANMM volunteer Jill Saffron, privileged information passed down of a presentation and video, Boorun’s canoe left: This is the moment before the canoe first produced by Museum Victoria, at Nawi – touches water. This is the first working bark canoe between people, and as such we decided in the water in Gippsland for over 100 years. it was not appropriate to just take that Exploring Australia’s Indigenous watercraft I am confident it will float. knowledge and present it as a ‘how to’ conference held 30 May–1 June 2012

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