 Empowering Indigenous women |
Issue 128 |
Empowering Indigenous women
Empowered by Desert Grasses
In the cross border regions of Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory, Anangu (Aboriginal) women have for tens of thousands of years lived with the land and from the land. The land has been the source of life and livelihood in a sustainable way for at least 40 000 years. Women have provided for themselves, their families and communities from the land. This tradition continues today in new ways. Women like Jennifer Mitchell, a Pitjantjatjara woman, through her knowledge of the land and what it can provide has empowered her community by using grasses. These desert grasses are collected from the land and used to weave baskets. These baskets are then sold all around Australia as well as to several overseas countries. Income from this enterprise is used to improve life in their communities.
This project is an example of the sort of community development that Caritas Australia supports all around the world. This project shows how a seed of an idea can grow into an improved living standard for a whole community. The Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women's Council initiated the program in the region with training in weaving that built on traditional skills that women of this region already had. Women of the region already wove several items from fibres: hair belts, head bands, shoes from bark and feathers as well as hair string skirts or face coverings.
The Caritas philosophy is to support ideas and projects which come from the communities themselves. This ensures that the projects will be appropriate for the community and a priority for the community and not something that someone outside the community has decided that they need. This project is run by the community for the community so as to develop a wide range of business and management skills as well as the skills involved in the making of baskets. This project not only generates income for the community so that better food can be purchased, it also allows the women to connect with the land so as to maintain traditional food gathering methods as well as providing an opportunity for the older women to pass on these skills to the younger generation. It is also a perfect opportunity for story telling and the passing on of culture. Women getting together can also discuss problems and challenges for the community and work out solutions. This project is empowering this community by raising confidence and hope, giving people real control over their lives.
Jennifer Mitchell is a role model for her community, showing the possibilities for her people. This project does not just support Jennifer and her community. This project is multiplied by 220 weavers in 23 different communities who live in this central Australian region. This is typical of community development projects that Caritas Australia supports where a small investment has huge and wide ranging benefits. The Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women's Council also supports health, educational, cultural and other services to benefit the communities of the region.
The Tjanpi (grass) project has now spread further and further across the desert. It is now a business which supplies baskets, bush medicine, beads and bush tucker to people around the world. Profits are put back into the further development of the project. This work is not only a business but also valued as art. Their work has been exhibited in museums around Australia as well as in Germany and England.
The Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women's Council covers a vast area of around 350 000 km² of arid semi-desert country and yet the people from this area have lived with and on this country for many thousands of years. The land has provided for the people and the people have cared for it in return. Now it is the desert grass that is providing for Jennifer Mitchell and many like her through the Tjanpi project. The land continues to provide for its people and give them hope for a better future.
Wednesday 8 March 2006 is International Women's Day. To celebrate and recognise women's contributions from around the world, Caritas Australia has produced a PowerPoint and web-movie.
Visit: http://www.caritas.org.au/education/iwd.htm
HSIE/ SOSE/ Religion
1. Go to http://www.caritas.org.au
/projectcompassion/lentenStories2_secondary.htm and read the Project Compassion story of Jennifer. Answer the following:
- Which language group does Jennifer belong to?
- Where was she born? In what part of Australia is this? In what state?
- Where does she live now?
- Who does she work for?
- What does "Tjanpi" mean?
- When did Jennifer begin weaving?
- What material did she use for weaving?
- How did she learn her weaving skills?
- How is the weaving project "self-sustaining" Can you explain what this means?
- What Millennium Development Goal does this project work towards?
- In what way does this project empower women? In what way does Jennifer have more control over her own life?
- In what way is Jennifer a leader in her community?
- In what way does the project help to keep the traditions of the Indigenous people of this region alive?
- Write a paragraph which shows that you can see how like throwing a stone into a pond, a small change can have great flow on effects for a community.
2. Go to http://www.caritas.org.au/
projectcompassion/interactive.htm and click on fourth heading "Making Tjanpi Aboriginal Baskets" to see a slide show of how the women make the baskets.
- Go to http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/
mdgs/ and click on to the symbol for MDG 3 (the symbol for woman) to find out more about this Millennium Development Goal. What three statistics are quoted to illustrate women's disadvantage compared to men?
- Click on " About this goal" and answer the following:
- What proportion of women are in Parliaments around the world? What proportion are in cabinet?
- How many countries have agreed to work towards the elimination of discrimination against women?
- Can the elimination of discrimination against women help the whole society?
- Click on "Example of a successful project"
- Who is Mohammed Yunus?
- What is he famous for?
- Why did he prefer to lend money to women rather than men?
- What did women do to make sure their loans were repaid?
- Click on the "Video" icon to see examples of women's projects around the world .
- Click on "What needs to be done" and make a list that you might present to your Government of the steps that need to be taken to eliminate discrimination against women .
- Go to http://www.tjanpiaboriginalbaskets
.com/Our%20Country/ourcountry.
htm to see some photos of the desert country that Jennifer comes from.
- What are some of the dominant colours of this country?
- What types of vegetation are evident?
- What type of grass is pictured?
- How long are the leaves of the grass?
- Why do you think that this grass would be good for weaving?
- Go to http://www.tjanpiaboriginalbaskets
.com /Location/location.htm and look at the map.
- Locate Jennifer Mitchell's birthplace.
- What is the nearest large town to this country?
- What three States are shown on the map?
- Go to http://www.tjanpiaboriginalbaskets
.com/Welcome/welcome.htm
- What three language groups are involved in this project?
- Why do you think that these women enjoy their work?
-
Go to http://www.tjanpiaboriginalbaskets.
com /NPY%20Council/npycouncil.htm
- What does the NPY Women's council do?
- How large an area does the council cover?
-
Go to http://www.tjanpiaboriginalbaskets
.com/Products/products.htm and find out what products are made by the women.
- What apart from baskets is available?
- What do the women do when they are out gathering material for their art and craft work?
- Who owns Tjanpi
5. Research an Indigenous woman leader and prepare a profile for the class. Some suggestions: Lowitja O'Donohue, Faith Bandler, Mum Shirl, Linda Burney, Jackie Huggins etc
6. Go to http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/wattle
/abstuds/ for a web quest activity on Aboriginal culture .
Visual Arts/ English
/index.php and read the Rope Story
- Explain the metaphor of the rope.
- Explain the cultural reference to rope for the Pitjantjatjara people.
- What do the strands represent?
- What medium did Dora Dallwitz work with for her rope?
- What does the rope represent for an individual?
- What does it represent for a community?
- What are the strands representative of?
- How does a rope represent the link between the past and the present?
- Using the photos on this web page, explain how the artists created the rope from earth. Why might earth be a suitable medium for this work?
- What type of painting is Noeline doing?
- What medium is being used?
- What is the subject matter?
- What symbols can you see?
iconography.html to find out what some of the traditional symbols used in traditional Aboriginal art are. Use this information to "decode" an artwork from the catalogue page at http://www.aboriginalaustralia.com/catalog/.
PDHPE
Do the Healthy Tucker Quiz at http://www.waru.org/resources/healthytucker
/index.php
Any surprises?
See http://www.ozspirit.com/archives.html#rec for more teaching and learning activities on the theme of Indigenous Australia .
-
Support the work of Caritas Australia in Indigenous communities by participating in Project Compassion. Use the campaign not just as a fundraising activity but as an opportunity to raise awareness of the relative disadvantage of the Indigenous people of Australia, particularly in remote areas. Go to http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/html/
html_population/population_subgroups_
women .htm#summary for a summary of the statistics to do with Indigenous women's health. For example Indigenous women live 19 years less on average than non-indigenous Australian women. -
8th March is International Women's Day. Go to http://www.internationalwomensday.com/ for more information.
Caritas Australia also has material available to celebrate International Women's Day, including a powerpoint and web-movie. Visit: http://www.caritas.org.au/education/iwd.htm -
Take part in the Make Indigenous Poverty History campaign. For more details go to http://www.ncca.org.au/natsiec/indigenous
_poverty -
Go to http://www.hreoc.gov.au
/social_justice/sjreport_02/chapter4.html to read a recent report highlighting Indigenous disadvantage -
Write to your local member of parliament and ask them to consider why after 15 years of positive economic growth, Indigenous health and well-being have not improved. Go to http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/
Email.asp or http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/senators/
email.htm for contact details -
Order a copy of the Social Justice Diary from the ACSJC. 2006 is the 20th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's visit to Alice Springs and his address to Indigenous Australians and 2007 is the 40th anniversary of the 1967 Referendum. To mark these two historical events, the 2006 Social Justice Diary focuses on social justice for Indigenous Australians.
Each month, significant events for Indigenous Australians are noted and particular social justice issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are identified. Information and ideas for prayer and reflection are included. An excellent resource for parishes, schools and social justice groups, the diary is an educational and spiritual resource for all who wish to continue the journey towards justice for, and reconciliation with our Indigenous sisters and brothers.
Cost: $6.60 (inc. GST), plus postage.
To download an order form, go to: www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au/content/
publications/social_justice_calendar.html