Culture is at the core of who we are as individuals. It’s a defining feature of our identity and contributes to how we see ourselves, the people with whom we identify and our worldview.

The observable features of a culture, such as language, music, art, dance, food, stories, dress, celebrations, etc. are only part of our cultural heritage. The beliefs, traditions, and values that have been passed from one generation to another also contribute to our cultural identity. To understand the Eden Aboriginal culture, it is essential to genuinely understand the community. This understanding cannot be based on assumptions but will need to be developed through an authentic partnership.

Aboriginal Culture Centre Monaroo Bobberrer Gudu

People of the Mountains and the Sea

We are very fortunate to have the Aboriginal Culture Centre Monaroo Bobberrer Gudu in our local area. This centre is located on Koori-owned land at Jigamy Farm on the shores of Pambula Lake, 10 kilometres north of Eden. This magnificent keeping place building was constructed by local community members learning building skills on the job. Other projects developed at the centre include a cultural bush walk, a performance circle (bunan ring) and open ground for sports activities.

The NAIDOC cultural events held at the culture centre have been a great success, providing three days of activities for up to 500 local school children. Local community members work with Bournda Environmental Education Centre and National Parks and Wildlife Service to ensure the experience is authentic and exciting.

The centre is also important to the local Koori community as a place to share and restore traditional skills and knowledge and to develop new expressions of Koori culture. Projects to preserve local language, family, social and political history are in progress at the centre, providing the community with a unique archive of history and culture of of the People of the Mountains and the Sea.

Contributed by Sue Norman published in 2015.