The Year 9 students experienced “an absolutely incredible 10 days of on Country learning”, said IGS Coordinator of Indigenous Partnerships Lucy Howard-Shibuya.
“The Traditional Owners in the homelands we visited were so generous in their sharing of Language, Culture and Knowledge.
“The kids made their own clapping sticks, hunted for and ate maku (witchetty grubs), and made traditional damper.
“They learnt some Pitjantjatjara Language and also some Northern Arrernte Language. They made bush medicine form plants sourced on Country and painted a Dreaming story.
“Incredibly, they were given skin names, including roles and responsibilities by the women of Ampwerre Homeland and then had the opportunity to work on helping to clean up sacred sites.
“Our students were, as always, wonderful willing participants and have had a life-changing and rich experience.”
For Head of Humanities David Miller, who accompanied one of the groups, there were many lasting impressions, including how cold it was once the sun went down, and the beauty of the landscape.
“It was quite a unique experience for the students,” David said. “They especially enjoyed meeting Traditional Owners who provided invaluable insights into the culture of the First Nations people of central Australia.”
He also enjoyed visiting Uluru, King’s Canyon and the homelands of Sandy Bore and Black Tank.