Revival and Cultural Renewal of Gunditjmara Seasonal Knowledge

Title: Revival and Cultural Renewal of Gunditjmara Seasonal Knowledge

Summary: The Budj Bim Cultural Landscape is a dynamic living landscape and a place of deep learning. In 2019, Budj Bim was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List and was the first-ever Australian place nominated solely for its Aboriginal cultural values.

The Gunditjmara have a profound connection to Country, and the interrelationship between people and place is expressed in their philosophy of Ngootyoong Gunditj, Ngootyoong Mara (Healthy Country, Healthy People), which is enacted through the integration of traditional knowledge associated with the six seasons identified by the Gunditjmara.

However, while the seasons have been identified, only a limited number of seasonal events have been mapped, with little elaboration of the dynamic interconnections between the various physical (land, plants, animals, weather, astronomy) and cultural (relationship, kinship, lore, stories, ceremony totems, custodians, practices) aspects.

This project aims to support the Gunditjmara people in their aspirations to revive and renew traditional seasonal knowledge of Country. The team will work to elaborate the seasonal calendar so it reflects the complexity of the seasons and the rich cultural interrelationships between people, place, and practices.

The project also aims to enable and empower greater community participation in biodiversity information management and evaluation through the development of new tools and protocols.