dhumba-njan dhumba-njarr
(speak-I speak-you)
An exhibition to celebrate the UNESCO International Year of Indigenous Languages
dhumba-njan dhumba-njarr means speak-I speak-you in Woiwurrung, the language of the Wurundjeri of South Central Victoria.
The remarkable survival and significance of this language is celebrated in a new, multi-faceted exhibition at Yarra Ranges Regional Museum which opens with a special community day on Saturday May 11, 2019.
For thousands of years, language for the Wurundjeri of Yarra Ranges was not just about communication. It bound families and clans together and connected them deeply to the land they belonged to. However, the impact of oppression by colonial authorities in the early years saw this language forbidden, resulting in near total loss of this language and culture.
We are now slowly witnessing the revitalisation of this language, preserved through recordings and objects of rare cultural significance as well as testimonials and stories from traditional elders and custodians of Woiwurrung.
These and more are presented in dhumba-njan dhumba-njarr, a significant exploration of the survival and practice of Woiwurrung language conceptualised and curated at Yarra Ranges Regional Museum.
The exhibition is curated by Brooke Wandin, from the Woiwurrung speaking Wurundjeri-wilam clan. Her family have been living in the area we now know as The Yarra Ranges for countless generations.
Yarra Ranges Regional Museum
Sat 11 May – Sun 1 Sep
Tickets:
Free entry, no bookings required
Community Day – Sat 11 May
Program
10am Museum opening and introduction
11am Indigenous storytelling
12pm Djirri Djirri dance performance and workshop
1.30pm Light refreshments
2pm Smoking Ceremony and Djirri Djirri dance performance
2.30pm Official Opening Ceremony with Mayor Tony Stevenson, Lea Jones and Brooke Wandin
2.45 Choral performance
4pm Close
Image: The Three Wandins.
Photographer: Kate Baker