National Reconciliation Week 2019 was on 27th May to 3rd June.

This year we offered an in-house cultural engagement afternoon in the 179 Flinders Lane Melbourne showroom, Kulin Nation Country. The first part of the program consisted of an Acknowledgement of Country, knowledge sharing and Dance.

Rebecca Phillips shared many stories and guided the afternoons program. Traditional Dance was by Sean, Mitch and Brent. Then everyone was split into two groups. One group was fortunate to have Aunty Marilyne, a Master Weaver from Dja Dja Wurrung for a workshop.

The other group had Sean Ryan for a workshop on the Yidaki or Yigi-yigi (Didgeridoo). Then we all come back
together to share in tastes of the bush with Kangaroo Sausage Rolls, wattle seed and chocolate chip muffins and fresh bush teas and cool bush flower cordial.

We learnt that the Yigi-yigi or Yidaki are made from the trunk of a eucalyptus tree, which has been hollowed out by termites. The termites, or white ants, eat the heartwood of the host tree.

Historically the process was is finished by hand with the aid of an iron chisel that was made available via
traditional trade routes.

In traditional uses they are sometimes only used the once then burnt in the communal fire at the ceremony.

Sean’s a member of the Black Cockatoo clan, though he was born in Mossman, White Cockatoo country and is one of the custodians of the Yidaki totem for his Country.

Aunty Marilyne has lived most of her life around the Murray (Milloo) River system and its waterways.
Aunty Marilyne is a member of the Dja Dja Wurrung and a descendant of the Freshwater Murray River Peoples and Saltwater Peoples of the Coorong coast in South Australia.

She was encouraged to learn how to weave by her mother and taught where to find and how to harvest the native grasses that she uses for weaving.