Dacawi: Transforming to the indigenous view

Aboriginal Art Directory | 04.03.08

Author: Ramon Dacawi
News source: Sun.Star Bugio

Article about Aboriginal culture in the Philippines.

Quoted from article:

Students from all over recently shared with each other the news of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's pre-Valentine's Day formal apology to his country's Aboriginal people for the years of injustice inflicted on them.

About the course:

Alp Pir's on "Indigenous Peoples and the Natural World" was meant to transform students, for them to emerge with a deeper sense of purpose and clearer direction in their work helping bring communities closer to what they should be.

Transform they did, through the lectures, discussions, film shows, hikes and meditations. And through manual work. They found that cleaning the halls, washing dishes, cooking, gardening, and cooking (totally vegetarian food Azmir thought he wouldn't survive with until he found and fried some eggs) were quite uplifting, something close to what writer May Sarton described as "sacraments of the ordinary".

There were no exams, no certificates of completion at the end of the course. Yet what a view they had, under the guidance of college director Karen Bincoe, Kumar, teacher Stephan Harding, scholar in residence Brian Goodwin, the staff and facilitator Jan van Boeckel.

They got hooked to the Aboriginal view mainly through the Australian perspective and experience. Esteemed anthropologist Deborah Bird Rose raised the class' consciousness to the Aboriginal "Dreamtime" and concept of "Country" "Country", in the Aboriginal view, is one that nourishes life and everything in it. Art patron Rebecca Hossack introduced them to Aboriginal art -- the oldest in human history -- with sample paintings depicting the "Dreamtime", which may refer to the story of creation and places where the spirits lie, or the realm that Rose noted Aborigines enter into during rituals.

URL: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/bag/2008/03/03/oped/ramon.dacawi.benchwarmer.html

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