#343 Because Of Her, We Can

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The theme of NAIDOC Week this year is ‘Because Of Her, We Can’. We’ll be hearing from two influential storytellers, both Aboriginal women, who share about how Indigenous Australians have understood the mysterious workings of the land and the sky for tens of thousands of years.

We first meet Kirsten Banks, a proud Wiradjuri woman and astronomer.

D’harawal Dreaming Stories

Aunty Fran Bodkin is from the Bidigal clan of the D’harawal people in Sydney’s Southern basin. She is an author, botanist, educator and researcher. She’s also written the Encyclopaedia Botanica, a reference guide of over eleven thousand plants.  

Aunty Fran also compiled the book D’harawal Dreaming Stories – an English translation of stories passed down by her mother. She reads the stories ‘How the White Waratah became red’ and ‘How the parrots got their colours’.

Music: ‘All Trees Are Clocks’ (excerpt) by Nemeton, ‘Birds of Hope’ by Dee Yan-Key, ‘Empty Trees’ (remix) by Ketsa

This week’s stories were produced by Allison Chan with help from Julieta Locane and Geneva Gilmour.

All The Best credits:

Executive Producer: Allison Chan

Victorian State Coordinator: Bec Fary

Host: Samantha Groth

Episode Compiler: Tegan Nicholls

SYN Community Coordinator: Jordan Fennell

Community Coordinator: Chloe Gillespie

Social Media Producer: Matilda Fay

Images: Flickr CC cskk, Flickr CC Ed Dunens

Music: ‘Discovery’ by Jon Luc Hefferman, ‘Mangata’ by Jon Luc Hefferman, ‘Ngabaju (Grandmother’s Song)’ by Kardajala Kirridarra