A FIRST Nations elders yarning circle took place in Bendigo on Tuesday, as Traditional Owners from across Victoria began sharing their views on the country\u2019s first formal truth-telling process.<\/p>\n
The process, called the Yoorrook Justice Commission, was formed with the powers of a royal commission to establish a public record of the state\u2019s First Peoples since colonisation.<\/p>\n
Five Bendigo elders were involved in the yarning circle and commissioner Professor Kevin Bell said he was pleased with the session.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a very good meeting with five elders from various First Peoples communities in Bendigo,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe themes to emerge are underlying racism, the destruction of culture by colonisation over a long period of time, and dispossession of land.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe elders in this yarning circle include elders who were stolen, and they began to tell part of that story.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother theme was the way communities have in more recent times become more prominent, stronger and confident in themselves as Aboriginal communities. That shows loss and recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yarning circles will take place across Victoria for five weeks as part of an informal process, with elders then invited to share their stories on the public record.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s an elder who had a one-on-one session with [Commission] chair Eleanor Bourke sharing personal information about the impact of what\u2019s happened to her and her family,\u201d Professor Bell said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t doubt that elder will step out of that confidential process and participate in the more public, outward facing mechanisms that will occur.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yoorrok\u2019s first interim report is due for release on 30 June.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A FIRST Nations elders yarning circle took place in Bendigo on Tuesday, as Traditional Owners from across Victoria began sharing their views on the country\u2019s first formal truth-telling process. The process, called the Yoorrook Justice Commission, was formed with the powers of a royal commission to establish a public record of the state\u2019s First Peoples […]<\/p>\n