Building greater understanding and creating opportunities to connect to our traditional indigenous Australian culture through music, art, dance, food, ceremony and discussion.
Uncle Ted Lovet
Uncle Ted Lovett is a proud Gundidgundjundmara Elder and Traditional owner of the land where Rainbow Serpent is held . He is also part of the Wathurwurrung and Djarwurrung tribes. A member of the Stolen Generation, Uncle Ted was made a ward of the state at a young age and many of his family separated across Australia. A gifted footballer player with a proud history of great sportsmen within his family, Uncle Ted describes himself as a radical at heart. He has over 40 year's involvement in numerous committees and councils including the Aboriginal Co-operative in Ballarat that focus on access to health and legal resources for Indigenous communities.
A fighter for what he believes in, as much of his family have been throughout history, Uncle Ted marched and rallied in various peace and indigenous rights campaigns throughout the 70's until today. March 2007 saw him and his family win a native title claim to some of their country. Uncle Ted is a firm believer in equality for all people and rallies against racism in all of its forms. He is very proud to see the results of hard years of work towards equality that many people including himself have fought for and recognises there is more to achieve yet.
Aunty Mona
Aunty Mona Wilson, now 78 years young, is an Indigenous Elder proud of her heritage, her mother was of the Wongatha people in WA and father was an Afghan camelier. Born in the Riverlands of South Australia Aunty Mona now resides in Gladstone, South Australia and is an active member of the community. She has 70 descendants spanning 5 generations and while maintaining the community is important, family always comes first.
The former Miss Rainbow Serpent Festival (2006) is an avid country and R&R fan and has travelled to Rainbow Serpent Festival for the past few years enabling the 'Welcome to Country', on behalf of the Djadjawarung people. Originally a commercial cook for 45 years Aunty Mona has recently received awards for her work in the community working with councils, the Rocky River Lions community group and many other projects local to her area. A holistic healer with a passion for mental health issues she has toured with the "Mama Serpentine Dreaming: A Cry in the Wilderness", an arts exhibition and program promoting indigenous art and mental health. She has also travelled to Melbourne for Earthdance and many other community events sharing her story and passion where it's needed.
Aunty Mona firmly believes in world peace: "I believe in world peace. I believe it can be done! If we all work on our own corner".
Gnarnayarrahe Immurry Waitairie (Uncle Joey)
Gnarnayarrahe is a proud Yindjibarndi man from Western Australia who currently lives in Brunswick, Melbourne. He has recently started up a music recording company named 'yamatji wnagnarliewundda wanda records' which translates as 'blackfella message stick'.
Gnarnayararhe is a prolific and proud yidaki/didgeridoo player and traditional Aboriginal dancer who travels the world performing. Uncle Joey has danced and played the didgeridoo for the Prince of India, Sheik Ziah of Dubai and many other heads of state from England to America and the Middle East. He has also taught didgeridoo spiritual therapy across Europe, America and performed in Pow wows in native American communities. As an actor he has appeared in films such as 'Deadheart', 'Ground Zero' with Jack Thompson and over 10 years on the "Flying Doctors' television series and many others. He shares his craft through performances, cultural exchanges and workshops at various regional arts and music festivals.
Traditional &Contemporary Indigenous Painting Workshop
Gnarnayarrahe has been painting for 30 years amongst his own tribe and around the Central Australian Desert. Gnarnayarrahe will be teaching traditional Desert Art painting of the Central Australian and Yinjibarndi tribes with dots and criss-cross styles. He will be using contemporary paints and paintbrushes with traditional colours and techniques.
Uncle Phil Ahwang
Uncle Phil was born in Mackay Queensland, his father from Badu island and his mother from Darnley island in the Torres Strait. Phil has been "Getting Stones with my Community", preparing kup-murris extensively around the top north of Australia for some years now. Kup-murris are prepared for special occasions for weddings, births, funerals and many festivals and important dates, such as the Coming of the Light, NAIDOC week and recently for the Acknowledgement of Land Festival. Phil finds kup-murris an important part of connecting himself with his identity and promotes longevity and healthy, strong living.
At the moment Phil is working for a events managent company, "Staging Connections" with music recording and production for major events such as the ARIAs and the Big Day Out. He is also currently studying Natural Resource Management. Rainbow Serpent Festival will be Phil's first gathering of the stones in Victoria and assures it will be a very blessed and special occasion.
"Getting Stones With My Community"
Phil Ahwang will present, instruct and lead a traditional Torres Strait feasting ceremony that will incorporate the 4 elements of Earth, Wind, Air and Fire. A selection of meats and vegetables will be prepared in a ground oven known as a kup-murri. Stones, earth, fire and plants used for the kup-murri will be taken with permission from the local Indigenous peoples of the land and ceremonially prepared. The group will be taught proper protocols of how to take things from your surrounding environment in the preparation of a meal and the connection to this process to a sense of Torres Strait identity and a healthy, strong life of longevity. The kup-murri is an important ceremony in mantaining a healthy nutritious diet and acceptance of responsibilty for your community.
Jie Pittman
Jie, a creative artist of many forms was born and raised in Blacktown, a suburb in Western Sydney. He is an honoured Aboriginal and Australian man of the Wiradjuri and Darug nations. Jie has an extensive background within film, television and theatre arenas.
Through sharing his cultural practices and traditions Jie educates his family, friends and people from around the world. Through the platform of Liv'en Truth, Jie aims to sustain, rejuvenate and pass on the traditional and contemporary culture that has been practised for over 80,000 years.
Liv'en Truth runs various education and performing arts programs from contemporary to traditional Aboriginal dance, drama, mentoring, sports coaching and hip hop performances. Jie with Liv'en Truth aim to educate, empower and up skill the next generation through awareness, addressing issues and building better relations between Indigenous Australians and the world. www.myspace.com/liventruth02
Traditional & Contemporary Indigenous Performing Arts- Dance &Music Workshops
Jie, his group Liv'en Truth and Dave Beaumont will be working together in creating many workshops and performances including Contemporary &Traditional Indigenous dancing, Introduction to Contemporary Indigenous Art &Painting and Indigenous Instrument and Music playing. Jie and Liv'en Truth will perform their own style of contemporary hip-hop with drums and Dave will mix house music styles with live drumming and other improvised live instrumentation.
David 'Silver' Beaumont
David is a proud Wiradjuri man with Yugoslavian heritage. Based in Sydney, currently working in a community development role, Dave has extensive experience in studio, drama, publishing and events management with both the ABC and Vibe Australia. His work with Vibe, an Indigenous owned and operated multimedia and events company extended over magazines, radio programs, 'The Deadlys' awards night and an alcohol and drug free national Indigenous Basketball competition.
As a self-taught DJ and avid music fan David loves djing with a passion and aims to create a connection with the crowd through playing music that inspires happiness. He strongly believes in the common denominator of thousands of people dancing together for hours to great music. He has recently played extensive sets at both the 'Festival of the Dreaming' in Queensland and 'The Peats Ridge' party over News Years Eve. He shares his skills with DJ workshops for young indigenous kids in Redfern, a radio program in Sydney and will play for punters at this year's Rainbow Serpent Festival.
Traditional Dance Workshop 'sing up the Country, dance up the Country'
Presenters: Peeneeyt Thanampool
This workshop will teach about dance, story and culture. Participants will learn about our dance and how stories and knowledge are handed on through dance; how dance connects to Country; how dance, language and song make the Country strong. Participants will be given the opportunity to participate by learning some dance moves and creating a 'one off' dance at the workshop
Biography: Peeneeyt Thanampool
Peeneeyt Thanampool means 'Strong Women'. We are a Traditional Aboriginal Dance group representing the Kirrae Woorroong and Peek Woorroong tribes of the Gunditjmara nations of South West Victoria. We are a family group that have been performing Traditional Dances across Victoria for up to twenty years. Jarrah, Yaraan, Marlee, Niyoka and Kirrae Bundle – we dance from our mothers and grandmothers Country – Kirrae Woorroong and Gunditjmara. We are Jeringa/Bidawell and Wajigu/Bijara through our father's family.
Peeneeyt Thanampool perform ceremonies of cleansing, ceremonies that reflect traditional welcome and paying respect to Country. We dance on the earth cleansing the space, ready for ceremony or celebration, calling on the spirits and the energies all around. We dance to express our feelings and spirituality, to tell stories and to hand on history. Dance tells us about laws of our culture. Everything in nature is connected including us, Aboriginal people are the guardians of the motherland, to nurture and protect all of the creatures of this land and beyond. Even nature has its dances of the seasons. Sharing our time, stories and culture is vital for our survival and reconciliation. We are honored and privileged for the opportunity to touch you with a bit of dreamtime spirit, open your spirit to the connection of the Land and the dance everyone has within them.
'We dance up the feminine energies of the earth. Peeneeyt Thanampool perform heartfelt earth dances that are part of the great ever turning dreamtime spiral of nature.'