Before colonisation the Australian Landscape had already evolved with the custodianship of Aboriginal people for thousands of years. Everything was here, the animals, the plants, the waters were clean, the trees were Elders, and there was an abundance of our kinship with the natural world which is now considered as resource. The story is embedded within the memory of the landscape and the land remembers how it needs to be cared for which sits alongside the trauma of its recent collection of memories of decline and devastation of the natural world. Victor Steffensen will be talking on memory within the land and how important it is in understanding who we are and what role we play when it comes to caring for country. Indigenous knowledge and the relationships with Country is the foundation to understanding how we can read the language from country and what many communities are doing to align themselves with the memory of Mother Nature as a target for generations to come.

PRESENTER

Victor Steffensen is an Indigenous writer, filmmaker, musician and consultant applying traditional knowledge values in a contemporary context through creative, practical and artistic projects.

He is a descendant of the Tagalaka people from the Gulf Country of North Queensland and holds a Doctorate of Environmental Science. Much of his work over the past thirty years has been based on the arts and reviving traditional knowledge for community and environmental challenges - particularly Aboriginal fire management, through mentoring, leadership, and on-ground training with Aboriginal and non-indigenous communities both nationally and internationally.

Victor is the co-founder of Firesticks, which works with communities across Australia. Victor has published a best-selling book called Fire Country which has been a major reference to his work. He has also published the children's book Looking After Country With Fire. He has also published songs "Cool Burning" and "Great Land" through his music label Mulong.

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