A FIVE-day arts festival showcasing Dja Dja Wurrung culture is now underway at Dudley House.<\/p>\n
Called Malamiya Mang<\/em>, or then and now, the festival includes a free exhibition, arts and crafts market, workshops and cultural tours with Dja Dja Wurrung tour guides.<\/p>\n Festival producer Sarah Lowe said she was excited to celebrate the region\u2019s oldest living culture.<\/p>\n \u201cMalamiya Mang Arts Festival is a first for Bendigo, which draws a connection of Dja Dja Wurrung country and people from the past to here and now,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Ms Lowe said the meaning of Malamiya Mang was best captured by elder Aunty Fay Carter.<\/p>\n \u201cAunty Fay said, \u2018I\u2019d like the rest of the world to know that Dja Dja Wurrung still exists. We are still here as a people. We are proud and value our culture\u2019,\u201d Ms Lowe said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe festival aims to bring that sentiment to life, and we are really excited to share it with the wider community.\u201d<\/p>\n The art exhibition will run until Monday, 17 April and are visitors able to purchase the works on display, as well as buy crafts from the market.<\/p>\n This weekend workshops will be held offering participants the chance to learn directly from Dja Dja Wurrung people about traditional plants and healing, bush food, and boomerang painting.<\/p>\n For the kids, there will be a puppet show featuring native animals, while cultural walking tours will also run over the weekend.<\/p>\n