Students had classes in the morning. After their classes, we would plan to go to the aboriginal adventures. They were so excited and they were so happy to go to the aboriginal school. The aboriginal that we went to visit is called, Ngutana-Lui. This is very traditional Australian tribe in Brisbane, Queensland.
When we went there, the place was look like a huge school. From outside, it looks like a traditional American public school with a huge backyard. They divided into four stations. The have singing and dancing, throwing, bushfood, gender roles.
The first station was the dancing and singing. The man who taught us how to dance, he was very good at teaching us how to sing and dance at the same time. But first, he wanted us to paint our faces with the dark ink. The students did not really likes because in our Taiwanese culture, we do not used to do all this kind of things, so they are not even exposure to the aboriginal face painting.
After painting our faces, we started to dance and sing at the same time. The dance called, crazy horse. We had to dance like a horse and sing at the same time. The song was hard to remember or sing but the dance was kind of easy to do it. I really enjoy singing and dance aboriginal songs. Maybe I can teach my new comers to do it at Sheng-Kung. Students will engage in stories, games, and song and dance, which demonstrate how traditional lore is transmitted through generations. Most of young generation do not know what was their parent's generations I think this is a great lesson for them to respect, keep and know each generations.
The second station was the Boomerang throwing. Students here were so excited to learn how to throw their Boomerang. Some of them were very good at that and some of them were not so good at Boomerang. Like me whatever I throw, it did not go back to me. It is so hard to do in a perfect way.
The aboriginal people can throw it back and forth and the boomerang can come back to them once they throw it far away. It requires a lot of practice everyday. The third station is the bush walking. Here the aboriginal lady introduced to us how the women's role was in the past. Women in the past, they have to lift heavy things and they also had to do the plantation. They carried with them everyday a wood baskets, where they not only put their babies but also their foods for their families. Also, they use a long stick for garden and plantation. The kitchen is only for women, and men can not never go inside the kitchen and do whatever they wanted to do. They have to respect their women.
When I heard this, I compared my marriage situation with them. It is so amazing that women in the aboriginal culture can do such many works. As mother and housewife, I have to do many things after teaching at schools. I have almost three to four jobs. As professional, I am a teacher; at home, I am a housewife, wife and daughter-in-law, and I am the mother for my son who needs care and love from me.
I think the nature makes women so strong and we have more work and less respect than men. As today in the aboriginal culture, women are well respected by their partners. Men can help them and carry the heavy things but also, they respect them in the kitchen. Men cannot do he mess in women's kitchen. Through listening to the bushfood, and investigating plants at Ngutana-lui, students will be introduced to the myriad uses of Australia as native plants. It is so cool for them to be able to know more about the plants and they can do it by themselves.
The fourth and the last station, we had the gender roles. The aboriginal man who explained to us was very humorous. He is so proud of his culture and he made us to respect our own culture, too. Also, he taught us how to say simple words in Ngutana-Lui language. I just remember /nzi/ which means "you" in English. Through examining the symbolism used in Indigenous art, students will explore how art is used to transmit cultural and natural heritage.
Through the Ngutana-Lui aboriginal center, we learned many things about their cultures and relate it to our own cultures. It is very interesting lesson for us to be there.
