Tucson - research and Digital stories

A while now since I have been able to post. I have been in Tucson again after a wonderful and busy time in NY city and at the University there. I have met and continue to meet such good people doing projects that are inspiring. Sharing about life at home , issues on Law , arts , Land , health , survival.

I have been out a few times in the sonoran desert. Some rare photos of SNOW on cactus. This is not usual in town , But perhaphs due to climate changes this year here it is. It was just in town like this for 2 days. I awoke one morning and all was white and so beautiful.In the photos I am in it with my friend Brenda who woke me and we drove into the desert park and took some photos.

The other photos are from a couple days before, you can see its dry and no snow. I went with other friends that day and we hiked along a canyon with water and saw many small birds that are native to this area.

Meanwhile ,I have been meeting with people here about setting up a research collaboration for the future possiblity of a conference on ' HISTORICAL and Inter-generational trauma " There is a huge need for this and we are hoping to bring together people working in this field and academics who work with Indigenous community and share our stories and identify what is needed as a group. I am hopeful for this to lead to a similar process when home in Australia.

We have also been meeting and sharing about DIGITAL stories and I have met many people wishing to develop skills and return this to communities to support projects and to be used as an intervention. I am hopeful that these meetings will also lead to projects developing across disiplines and that links as a community of people working together in this area can be made and continue. Funding of course will need to be found, however the need and desire is there and I am more and more convinced of this direction as a powerful tool for Indigenous people.There is so much potential. I have been presenting and sharing with various groups, stories ,films and discussing issues here with regards to Health, soverignty and land, as best I can. Many issues are the same or simliar here as at home , though they may seem different in how they manifest and how policy has played out here.

I have been gathering some great films on these topics and this will be good to share with people once home so people can see for themselves. I am also collecting some footage myself and still hope to eventually edit this and have a small film to share as well as Digital stories.

Here are some photos of the day at the Bordon Primary school.

On Australia day ( Survival day ). I was invited to come to a local Primary school and share about home and Aboriginal culture and Australia in General. It was a wonderful day , the kids were so excited and loved the music and stories we shared and also the food we made for them to try ( no not kangaroo ) but vegimite and pavolva and sausage rolls ( made by my friend Jennie Mullins an x-pat Aussie ).

The children had made paintings on bark the day before and also we painted up to make a promise to take care of things well and to be grateful for the morning when we wake and to take care of all our relations animal and human. it was symbolic and meaningful to the children to particpate. They may make a digital story for me to bring back ( a digital letter ) to share with kids back home and make a sharing this way between our kids at home and The kids here. I hope to do this when home and it is this and other meetings Across the country which I hope will create this network to share our stories and lives.