I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Wiradjuri people. This column is dedicated to those who have gone before us, to those present and to those who will follow us.
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BEING an admin and founder of a Facebook community page (Wiradjuri Mob) allows me the chance to come into contact with thousands of people each week. It also gives me the opportunity to listen to what people are saying about all types of topics. This week, the discussion arose about how relevant is modern Wiradjuri art, language and culture, and do they really reflect what our forefathers did and spoke.
For madhu (many) thousands of years, Wiradjuri did not really do dot artwork, nor make and play the Yidaki (didge). We spoke hundreds of languages and mainly stayed in our general Ngurambang (country) eating a diet of about 80 per cent plant and vegetables, 20 per cent meat. We used stone tools, we used madhan (tree) for gama (spears) gulaman (coolamon) and more. We clothed ourselves in wambuwany (kangaroo) and wilay (possum) skins and generally lived a very good peaceful lifestyle.
Look at Wiradjuri people now - I cut Gulaman with a steel axe, I wear modern clothing, I consume too much high fat food and I speak English and Wiradjuri only. Does that make me and other people not Wiradjuri? Wiray (no).
Wiradjuri people have always been very quick to adapt to change. We learnt English quickly, we moved from stone axes to steel, we learnt how to ride horses, we learnt much in a very short time. Much was also taken away from us as well, but we survived and adapted.
Compare our modern yiradhu (day) culture now to something like the Marrambidya Bila (Murrumbidgee River). It has changed its behaviour and appearance over madhu (many) years, but it is still the Marrambidya Bila. It remains true and constant. If I cut my Gulaman (coolamon) with a steel axe instead of a stone axe, it is still a Gulaman. Ngawa (yes). I make and play Yidaki (didge) as have my family for generations, we accept the Yidaki as part of Wiradjuri culture now.
All language, art and culture are like the Marrambidya Bila. They are fluid, they are alive, they adapt to suit the environment, but at their core they stay true. Is our modern culture and language really Wiradjuri? Ngawa (yes) more than ever.
- Mark Saddler