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| PEOPLE |
"I
could give all of this up.
All of it. I want to live in the bush like my people used to,
eating bush tucker and living off the land. But it's not time
yet. My job here isn't done."
Tom Trevorrow, of the Ngarrindjeri people
of South Australia.
His dedication to regaining the culture of his people is evident
in everything he does. |
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Name:
Tom Trevorrow
Home: Ngarrindjeri land of South Australia |
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SUSTAINING
THE COMMUNITY
Other things which bring people together. |
SURVIVAL &
SKILLS
The
Ngarrindjeri People of South Australia
2
hours southeast of Adelaide is a region commonly referred to
as the Coorong. The original and sacred keepers of this land
are the Ngarrindjeri (literally, "The People").
 To
them, this is Kurangk Ruwe or place of the long neck.
They are referring to a long inlet of salt water that
runs parallel to the coast of the Southern Ocean. They
have lived here fishing and gathering for thousands of
years.
Tom Trevorrow, or Uncle Tom, teaches people about the
land and how it has supported his people since time began.
His wife, Auntie Ellen, has revived the art of weaving
that was once almost lost. She likes the teaching as well
as the social aspect of weaving. |
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 "Many
people have died of thirst, lying on top of fresh water."
One of Tom's specialties is to take people searching
for bush tucker (food) in the sandy scrub that stretches
forever around the Coorong. We learn of the fresh water
that lies close to the surface of the sand. "You just
dig about a metre down and wait." After some patient
hoping, the hole will fill with fresh water.
Tom also tells us of the munthari or wild apples that
grow everywhere along the Coorong in summer. These apples
were crushed and dried into cakes that would last for
months. These cakes were traded with other clans along
with the staple fish of the area, the Coorong mullet.
The Coorong mullet was trapped with nets and stone fish
traps. The traps were circles of stone built underwater
by the shore. The Ngarrindjeri herded the fish into
the circles at high tide by thrashing the water with
their hands and legs. When the water level receded,
the fish were trapped in the stone circles. These circles
can still be seen along the Coorong as faint rock formations.
The traditional dance 'shake-a-leg'
is a symbolic rendition of the thrashing movements used
to herd the fish into the traps.
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for this symbol on our Marriage pages for a short, 3-D, live experience!
