2 minute read
Wajarri Yamaji representatives share culture at SKAO headquarters
from Contact 16
BY SEBASTIAN NEUWEILER AND MATTHEW TAYLOR (SKAO)
The first international session of Wajarri-led cultural awareness training has taken place at SKAO Global Headquarters in the United Kingdom.
In July, Wajarri women Jennylyn Hamlett and Susan Merry travelled from Western Australia to the United Kingdom, on their first ever trip outside Australia, to deliver cultural awareness training and art workshops.
The visit took place during Australia’s NAIDOC week, which celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Representing the Wajarri Yamaji Aboriginal Corporation, Jennylyn welcomed 60 SKAO staff across three half-day sessions to complete the cultural awareness training.
While the training is mandatory for all visitors to the SKALow telescope site at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, staff were invited to attend from across the headquarters’ teams.
“It is essential that SKAO staff across our sites, whatever their role, understand and appreciate the history, lived experiences and cultures of the places and communities in which we are operating, and hear about it directly from these First Nations’ representatives,” said SKAO Director-General Prof. Philip Diamond.
“We may be separated by continents, but decisions made here at the headquarters need to be informed by that knowledge, and for that reason we wanted as many staff as possible to undertake this training.”
The sessions provided staff with thought-provoking and, at times, confronting insights into the experiences of Aboriginal people in Australia.
Respected Wajarri artist Susan Merry – whose artwork is featured in the Shared Sky and Cosmic Echoes exhibitions –hosted art workshops for staff and their families to learn about Wajarri painting techniques under her guidance.
As part of their visit, they presented to the SKAO Council at their July meeting to gift Susan’s artwork – Our Home – to the SKAO, on behalf of the Wajarri Yamaji, the Australian and Western Australian governments, and CSIRO.
Our Home was commissioned by Australia to commemorate the SKAO Council’s first visit to the SKA-Low telescope site in October 2023. The painting includes handprints from Council members and represents the beauty of the land with its rich red soil and wildflowers.
The framed artwork will now be hung in a dedicated area of the SKAO Council Chamber.
