Workshop 2025 Recap

We look back on a successful workshop on Country in Euston/ Robinvale VIC on the banks of the Miloo [Murray] River, organised by our project partners at Museums Victoria (Caine Muir, Rebecca Carland, Jessica Alderton, Tim Stranks) together with Uncle Brendan Kennedy and Auntie Glenda Nicholls.

The aim of the workshop was to share the provenance research that the project has been undertaking over the past two years, with a particular focus on sharing what Auntie Glenda and Uncle Brendan had researched during their visit to the MfN and EM collections in 2024. The workshop was attended by around 40-50 community members, representatives, Elders and knowledge holders from several River Nations.

Uncle Brendan Kennedy (Tati Tati & Wadi Wadi) and linguist Dr Stephen Morey (LaTrobe University, Melbourne) presented on their work to reconstruct and revitalise the languages of the River Nations. The detailed records of animal names on Blandowski and Krefft’s drawings that often go down to the species level, have the potential to help return language – and culture – to communities.

Photos from left to right: 1) Brendan Kennedy and Stephen Morey. Photographer: Marla Helling 2) Stephen Morey with drawings by Blandowski. Photographer: Marla Helling [Note: The drawings have been altered to protect ICIP.]

In her presentation, master weaver Auntie Glenda Nicholls (Wadi Wadi, Ngarrindjeri & Yorta Yorta) focused on records of the craft of net making and weaving held in the Blandowski/Krefft Murray River collections. During her visit to Berlin in 2024, she had closely examined the nets and dilly bags in the Ethnological Museum. Combined with the drawings by Blandowski, Krefft and Muetzel, she and Tim Stranks were able to draw conclusions about 1850s practices for harvesting and preparing cumbungi (Wemba Wemba; bulrush), a plant fibre used to make fishing nets, baskets and dilly bags. Auntie Glenda Nicholls is part of a skilled group of weavers who continue the practices passed down from generation to generation. For them, being able to compare their craft today with the techniques of the 19th century reaffirms their connection to ancestral practices.

Photos from left to right: 1) Glenda Nicholls and Timothy Stranks. Photographer: Marla Helling 2) Brendan Kennedy, Anja Schwarz, Caine Muir. Photographer: Marla Helling

The workshop also opened up a dialogue between the Natural History Museum Berlin and the River Nations. Over the course of the workshop, we had many conversations about the appropriate care for cultural belongings and future collaborations on culturally safe visits, ICIP and community access to collections.

As the project team, we are humbled and grateful for the warm welcome we received – especially at the Welcome to Country ceremony hosted by Tati Tati. We will not forget the many people we had the opportunity to meet, and the stories that were shared. We  hope that this meeting has laid the groundwork for meaningful work in the future.

Photographer: Rob French, Source: Museums Victoria

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