By Dongyun Kwon
Tarrawarra Museum of Art (TMA) held a weaving workshop to celebrate the National Reconciliation Week (NRW).
Workshop facilitator Jenine Godwin-Thompson, a Yaggerah Aboriginal artist, taught Aboriginal ways of wild weaving skills while having a yarn with local ladies.
The artist said the technique that she taught at the workshop is a form of art that has been handed down through different people’s lives.
“It’s a chance typically for women to gather around and have a yarn,” Jenine said.
“Basically using a blanket stitch, weaving a pattern or a circle with raffia and then if chosen, they could put some emu feathers on it.
“Now it can either go into their own little emu nesting display or hanging, or they can use it as a pair of earrings, necklace or anything.”
In her artwork Emu Nesting, feathers depict the father emu holding the community, and different colours and sizes of the circles in the middle symbolise baby emus and eggs, the community.
The Aboriginal artist said NRW has a lot of meaning to the First Nations community.
“It’s about both of us [Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians] walking the paths together by learning from each other,” Jenine said.
“It’s a great opportunity to ask any cultural questions where they can feel safe to ask because it can be scary and intimidating for people to insult or make mistakes [when they ask cultural questions.]
“But, my thought is it’s better to ask than not know.”
TMA has collaborated with many First Nations artists.
TMA learning and engagement manager Sarah Metzner said the workshop went wonderfully.
“It’s great to have Jenine teaching us her interpretation of weaving. Jenine, very generously, has talked to us a lot and answered lots of our questions around reconciliation and some confusions we had,” she said.
“It’s an authentic way of learning more about ways of respecting First Nations peoples and their cultures.”
The workshop was hosted from 2pm to 4pm on Wednesday 29 May.
A pair of sisters, Heidi and Vicki, found out about the workshop through the Healesville Noticeboard Facebook page.
Vicki said the workshop was an enriching and inspiring way to spend an afternoon.
“For me, it’s important to do something in NRW, either connecting with our local First Nations community or having some consciousness around it,” she said.
“This [the workshop] was a different way than what I’ve done before. Doing some craft and learning weaving as opposed to going to a lecture.
“We learnt a lot from Jenine. She shared a lot about First Nations culture and how to communicate respectfully, so it was learning about weaving but also learning about reconciliation. It was also relaxing and fun as well.”
Heidi said celebrating NRW with diverse activities is valuable.
“There was an element of education but there was also an element of relationship building strengthening those connections that we have,” she said.
“[It is important] because understanding comes through those relationships.”
Sarah said sharing culture is a great place for processes of reconciliation.
“Art and culture is a great way for all different communities to find some common grounds and sharing,” she said.
“”From sharing art and culture, a generosity is also shared which enables people to be more tolerant and to understand each other a lot more.”
