Emma Bamblett is a proud Wemba Wemba woman with connections to the Ngadjonji, Gunditjmara and Taungurung people.
Emma is the Statewide Coordinator for Aboriginal Cultural Planning at the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency and is the manager of Deadly Story. She is also a visual artist who paints with bright and vibrant acrylic colours, often representing the journeys of cultural connection for children, young people and families she meets in her role.
Deadly Story welcomes Emma as she shares her thoughts on 2019's NAIDOC theme of 'Voice, Treaty, Truth.'
What does it mean for the Aboriginal Community to have a voice in our modern society?
For me, working in the child and family welfare sector, for our young Aboriginal people living in out of home care, working with them to ensure they have a voice and say in their lives is important for me. In my role, I work to coordinate the cultural plans that are developed for our children in out-of-home care to ensure they are connected to their Mob and Community and are proud of their identity. Through cultural planning, we are seeing more young people speak up about their culture, what they are wanting to learn and where they would like to be.
Its important that children and young people understand their rights, cultural rights and have a platform to express their voice. It might be through cultural planning, and this might be the only way or platform they have to express their voice.
Its important that children and young people understand their rights, cultural rights and have a platform to express their voice
What are your ideas for how the Aboriginal voice in this country can be given a greater platform?
We at Deadly Story seek to provide a platform. We have opportunity and would encourage community and young people in out of home care to use this platform to share your voice. Social media is an amazing resource for our young ones to use. We have seen through articles and sharing post that it reaches out to a broader audience across the national and sometimes international.
We at Deadly Story seek to provide a platform
What does treaty mean to you?
I am still trying to get my head around treaty. I have been watching the videos and reading information. I am still waiting to sit with family to have a yarn as I want to be guided by family as well. I am connected to a few mobs in Victoria and interstate and am not sure where I fit. I'm unsure of what treaty looks like at this stage but we can only move forward together and ensuring we are all informed is the best start.
We can only move forward together and ensuring we are all informed is the best start
What is a fact or truth about Aboriginal history and current experience that you think should be widely known?
I think the history of Aboriginal people, specifically colonisation, should be widely shared so the wider Australian community is educated. I am still having conversations and talking to general public about the history of Australia and they still look at me with shock and say “they didn’t know that happened and everyone should learn about this!”
(People) still look at me with shock and say “they didn’t know that happened and everyone should learn about this!”
In my role, getting the importance of cultural plans out to the sector is hard as majority of people don’t have that understanding of the history and effects of colonisation on Aboriginal people today. They often don't realise that it's because of colonisation that there is trauma in our families and this is why our children are more likely to be in out-of-home care. It's by reconnecting to culture and growing up our children to be proud of being Aboriginal that we can break that cycle.
I also think it's important that people recognise the many, many positives about our culture. A personal example for me is art. I would like more people to know the truth that Aboriginal people had and continue to have a thriving culture of arts with many different styles and practices. Many people only know the style from desert Mob but in South East Australia we are known for our line work, which I use in my art. We also have beautiful weaving and carving that many Mob are practising and reviving so I would encourage people to check out the work of different Koorie artists.
I would like more people to know the truth that Aboriginal people had and continue to have a thriving culture of arts
What do you think needs to be done to make these truths known?
In my role, we are slowly trying to increase people's understanding through doing workshops and information sessions, to get these truths are voiced and talked about. I am hoping to spark curiosity and genuine interest and care from the broader Community. This will help increase understanding of what many of our families are going through.
I am hoping to spark curiosity and genuine interest and care from the broader Community