Zoë Brittain1, Aunty Judy Dalton-Walsh2, Prue Francis3, Alecia Bellgrove1,
1 School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Warrnambool, VIC, Australia
2 Wadawurrung Elder
3 School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Queenscliff, VIC, Australia
Wadawurrung Aboriginal people* have a long-standing and intimate relationship with their traditional lands and waters. This relationship has enabled the development of an in-depth and rich knowledge of local resources, including local seaweed species. The continuation of such knowledge within Aboriginal communities has been greatly impacted by the historical and ongoing effects of colonisation in Australia. Racist policies around land removal, the removal of children and the illegality of language and culture have led to much traditional knowledge on seaweed becoming fractured with communities, with different pieces of knowledge held by different community members, and other pieces potentially lost altogether. Aunty Judy Dalton-Walsh is a Wadawurrung Elder and seaweed knowledge holder, and will be presenting in conversation with her collaborator Zoë Brittain from Deakin University. They will be discussing her experiences of collaboratively organising and running a seaweed knowledge workshop for Wadawurrung community members, utilizing resources and expertise from Deakin Seaweed Lab.
*Wadawurrung lands can be found on what is now known as south and south west Victoria, Australia.