Kerryn Knight, local Art Therapist had great pleasure in working with local Indigenous students from Parkdale Secondary and Patterson Lakes Schools to Re-Create the local Indigenous Creation Story for ‘Nerm’ – The land of the Great Bay that we also know as Port Philip Bay
The Project began in February 2017 when Kerryn and the students where taken on a Catamaran boat out on Port Philip Bay where they heard of the creation Story by Indigenous Elder Aunty Carolyn Briggs. Marine Biologists and other teachers attended where we all had a chance to see the local sea life and see ‘Nerm’ from a different perspective.
Science has now ‘caught up’ with the creation story proving that this area was flooded many many years ago as the creation story explains. The area was once a river before Bunjil, the Indigenous creator spirit that travels as an Eagle sent a great flood to the area.
At an all day workshop at Kindred Art Space, Kerryn’s Centre for creative mental health, she facilitated the art-making process with the students. Discussing the Creation Story, sharing their personal stories of where their families are from covering all areas of Australia, the students worked on an aerial map of Nerm on the 33 small canvas pieces joined together jig-saw style. The students then each took several of the smaller canvases and proceeded to add their interpretation of the creation story. They included Bunjil the creator spirit, Waa the protector spirit that travels as a crow that protects the water ways, the land, the sea and indigenous animals. At the end of the day, all the pieces where brought back together to create the ‘bigger picture’. This artwork is now proudly on display at the Better Health Network Parkdale site.