A group of BSSC students today had the great privilege to attend a traditional basket weaving workshop at the Bendigo Art Gallery with Aunty Marilyne, a member of the Dja Dja Wurrung and a descendant of the Freshwater Murray River peoples and saltwater peoples of the Coorong coast in South Australia.

The workshop was part of Bendigo’s National Reconciliation Week celebrations.

Aunty Marilyne was encouraged by her mother to use native plants for weaving and to create feather flowers in traditional and contemporary manner. She has been teaching weaving and feather craft skills for over 20 years. Aunty Marilyne’s practice combines her background as an artist and her rich cultural knowledge of the natural environment and its resources.

“Weaving is a very important tradition,” she told the students. “It’s highly important that the tradition isn’t lost and that we acknowledge the weaver as the artist… one day, these young women will be able to pass on the knowledge.”

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