Previous Recordings
Previous recordings of the oral history of the Bundjalung people have been made under various projects.
- Language recordings. We will not deal with these here as language recording and sharing is an extensive project, and we are working on this material on another site. Much of this material is available through AISTSIS Mura library in Canberra.
- As occurred all around Australia, the Bundjulung people had children taken way who were considered "better" brought up in white society, for whatever reason. Unfortunately this was a policy carried out with no consultation with Aboriginal people and had dire consequences for these children, their grieving parents, and their descendants. Stolen Generations stories held at the National Library, which are from those in the Clarence River area, include the following recording that are accessible online:
- Valerie Linow interviewed by Diana Ritch in the Bringing them home oral history project by Linow, Valerie, 1941-
- Mervyn Pattemore interviewed by Glenys Dimond in the Bringing them home oral history project by Pattemore, Mervyn, 1922-
The histories on this site show the importance of recording languages and stories, and setting up a processes which allows Aboriginal people to own, learn and control their stories in all languages, which is their culture. We hope sites like this will encourage our people to learn and develop the knowledge to continue to share and develop their culture themselves, even when displaced and separated.
Comments
Valarie I know – stolen gen – either girls home in Grafton as you come into south grafton or cowper going down the river. I will talk to others.
Stewarts come from sth coast, could have been some of those who family worked on railway and lived in South Grafton near the “Tin Bridge” in the Aboriginal welfare Houses. There were other Stewarts who worked in the Timber mills around Grafton as well (I think hey may related to us via mums side).
Need to have a think about it some more