As the clouds gather and the first storms announce the arrival of Onyjon, the wet season, the Country begins to change. Waterholes fill, the forests come alive and the bark of the Ug athar, the messmate tree, begins to loosen. For generations, these were the
Over the past 20 years, I've been fortunate to meet some extraordinary people through BushTV. Some are loud, charismatic leaders. Others rarely seek attention at all. Uncle Viv was one of the latter.
What began as a documentary about a traditional shelter became something much deeper. It was about cultural memory, intergenerational knowledge, language, Country and the remarkable determination of Olkola Elders to ensure an important part of their cultural heritage was not lost.
Warning: Aboriginal Viewers are advised that this story contains images and videos of a deceased person. The featured person gave consent for this story to be told. Sometimes we don’t realise what we’ll wish we’d kept until later. A voice. A memory. A story told in
There’s a reason Simpson Yam has a soft reminiscent smile on his face today. He’s part of a team of Olkola men who have just finished building algngga (wet season humpy) right in the middle of town for everyone to see.
Hazel Barr is happy today. She shares an ancient sugarbag song in a language that is now spoken by only a few. She's happy because the Olkola men of Kowanyama are building a traditonal messmate benched humpy