Bega Valley-wide commitment to Indigenous recognition and change

The group responsible for the creation of the Djiringanj Community Learning Resource, members of the Djiringanj Community and staff from UOW Bega Valley, were recognised and celebrated on Thursday 22 August at the UOW Vice-Chancellor's Awards.

The award recipients, Djiringanj Indigenous community members Aunty Ellen Mundy and Bronwyn Luff, Emma Stewart (Woolyungah Indigenous Centre and UOW Bega Valley), Samantha Avitaia (UOW Bega Valley) and Linda Hatcliffe (UOW Facilities Management Division) were awarded the Vice Chancellor’s Indigenous Advancement Award.

The award recognises the commitment and valuable contributions of individuals and teams across UOW who have achieved outstanding outcomes within the University and beyond, in leading and enabling Indigenous advancement.

Recipients of the Indigenous Advancement Award with UOW Interim Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor John Dewar AO.

Recognising Djiringanj Country

On Djiringanj Country, UOW Bega Valley has a proud connection with local community. Djiringanj Country has always been a place of immense significance for Indigenous peoples, a place of education and ceremony.

In 2022, a collaborative community project began with local Djiringanj Elders, Aboriginal community members and UOW Bega staff, envisioning to create an artwork for the entrance of the UOW Bega Valley Campus.

Emma Stewart, the former Indigenous Student Success Advisor at UOW Bega Valley, was the driving force behind the resource to create messaging using the local Djiringanj language.

“After developing a strong relationship and having many yarns with Aunty Ellen we realised that there was so much sacred knowledge that Aunt was sharing with us that we needed to do a larger-scale project that shared her cultural knowledge and Djiringanj language not only with the UOW community but with the Bega Valley,” Ms Stewart said.

“The Aboriginal community are so generous in the amount of knowledge that they're able to share. It was great that we were able to partner with an elder of the community as well as a local artist, to make sure that everything was done in a culturally grounded and culturally authentic way."

After consulting, listening and learning from Djiringanj and Ngarigo Elder Aunty Ellen Mundy and Djiringanj artist Bronwyn Luff, the original artwork, “My Dreaming Track of Knowledge with Community and Elders”, was created. It depicts the story and sacred cultural significance of the Bega Valley.

The original Djiringanj artwork was reproduced as a door decal covering the entire front window entrance of UOW Bega Valley, more than 4.5 metres wide and 2.5 metres high, acting like a leadlight window allowing the sunlight to filter through the artwork and fill the space.

The original Djiringanj artwork was reproduced as a door decal covering the entire front window entrance of UOW Bega Valley.

Aunty Ellen Mundy shared 11 words in local Djiringanj language, which have been shared within a teaching resource and website for the local community to learn more about Djiringanj culture and the significance of Bega.

A large display panel was installed at the campus entrance alongside the decal that shares the story of the artwork along with a QR link to the UOW website with language recordings.

“The University's embrace of Djiringanj culture and recognition of the Djiringanj people is an important step in the healing and sharing process. We want to encourage Aboriginal students and community to feel safe and comfortable to study at UOW,” Aunty Ellen Mundy said.

“Working with UOW Bega is creating meaningful reconciliation and positive change for our community. It has inspired our community to be excited about the future as they can see things moving forward.”

From campus to the community

Samantha Avitaia, Campus Manager at UOW Bega Valley, championed the project, ensuring the wider community was involved at every stage.

“A corresponding flyer was also developed for schools and community members to learn the story of Bega and some Djiringanj language. The resource is valued by the entire community as previously there were not any Djiringanj local language resources available for public use,” Ms Avitaia said.

The Djiringanj Community Learning Resource was officially launched at UOW Bega Valley in July 2023 with more than 100 people in attendance, including staff and students of UOW Bega Valley, Indigenous community members, primary and high school students, teachers, health services, local government representatives and members of the wider community.

“Individuals, local schools and organisations have since reached out to UOW Bega and received permission to use the Djiringanj artwork and local language resources for school, libraries and community projects,” Ms Avitaia said.

“Providing the resources to the community has enabled teachers to work with the Indigenous community to develop a range of language learning activities and for Djiringanj language to be heard and embraced by school children in their everyday lives.”

Emma Stewart, Bronwyn Luff, Aunty Ellen Mundy and Bega Valley Campus Manager Samantha Avitaia launch the Djiringanj Community Learning Resource in 2023.

Since leaving UOW Bega Valley Emma Stewart has started her own business running cultural education workshops and programs as a Cultural Connector. Working in local classrooms alongside Aunty Ellen they have been able to build on the success of the Djiringanj Community Learning Resource.

“It has created this new opportunity for local organisations and schools to have access to storytelling, and not only the cultural significance and knowledge of the area itself, but also those language words,” Ms Stewart said.

“Wolumla Public School have really embraced it and have included the flyer and language resource into their current learning for this term. “Working with Year 5 and Year 6 students we have been able to create a song using some of those language words along with some new words. When they go to their sporting carnivals, they can have chants and cheers using local language.

“It's really opened the opportunity for other schools to think about how they can better connect with the elders and community.”