Learning about and experiencing Aboriginal culture as part of our Cultural Awareness training day today. It included listening to some moving first-hand narratives from the Aboriginal community on how they were displaced in their own land, and how they are yet to be assimilated into the multicultural land that Australia is, today! When they added that such a training day would even be unthinkable 10 years ago, it was quite shocking to me!
I found the mention of the essential difference between the Aboriginal and the Western world quite fascinating as well – while the Western world is concerned more about ‘time’ or the lack of it, Aboriginals give importance to the ‘journey’ of life and the experiences along this journey! Time is woven around this.
For sure, being exposed to the culture by trying our hand at one of the most profound mediums of theirs – Aboriginal art – was my most valuable experience today. With Danny Eastwood, one of the best Aboriginal artists in Sydney facilitating this, we were truly privileged to explore the world-of-telling stories-about- the- journey- of- life with colours and dots (dot painting).