Format: Panel Presentations with Discussion
Convenors:
Anita Painter, Dalabon Elder, Northern Territory, Australia
Mavis Jumbiri, Mielli Elder, Northern Territory, Australia
Jasmine Willika, Australia
Jean Tiati, Australia
Gary Jackson, Archaeology, Flinders University, Australia
Claire Smith, Archaeology, Flinders University, Australia, claire.smith@flnders.edu.au
Rachael Kendino, Australia
This session will launch the Barunga Aboriginal Knowledge Centre, which is being established as a safe way for Aboriginal people to earn an income while still living in our communities by teaching about cultural protocols and conducting research about Aboriginal society and culture. We are committed to two-way learning. We want to teach about our culture and we also want to learn about what happens in the wider world, beyond Barunga. The Barunga Aboriginal Knowledge Centre emerges from the Barunga Community Archaeology Field School, run by Claire Smith and Gary Jackson from Flinders University every year since 1998. Participants in this session are former students of the Barunga field school, and community people who have taught the field school over almost three decades. Participants are both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal. They have been asked to reflect on how the field school has informed their lives and their careers, and consider the challenges of working closely together.
Documentary: Barramundi, The Art of Barunga
Angus Rawson, Australia
This documentary follows Wayne Runya, a Jungayi (cultural leader) and Aboriginal artist from Barunga, Northern Territory, as he shares the rich painting traditions of his community. Through his artistry, Runya preserves and transmits the deep cultural knowledge embedded in the painting techniques of the region. The film explores the intersections of art, archaeology, and cultural heritage, revealing how these visual traditions connect generations and maintain a living history of the land. By documenting Runya’s methods and insights, this work contributes to a broader understanding of Indigenous knowledge systems, emphasising their significance in archaeological and cultural research.