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It is important to me to learn Aboriginal art. When I started doing art I didn’t know much about it and I didn’t have any skills. Now I have good skills and I can help the other men with their work. It makes me feel good about myself by helping them. I was a billet for four years in the pottery room and was responsible for keeping the art room clean. I learnt to use a wet rag to wipe down surfaces and the floor, as the dust is not good for your health.
The art and pottery rooms are good for us fellas to get together and share a space that is culturally relevant. It helps to strengthen our cultural ties and bond as Aboriginal men in a positive and helpful environment.
I can hand-build with clay and use the pottery wheel now. I have made small animals; large ones too. The large ones are a wombat and an elephant. Before I started pottery I did match-work and Paddle Pop stick-building. I made a one storey house first, then I built a two storey one, then finally a three-storey mansion which was fully furnished and stood one meter high. After these projects I began to make didgeridoos. Firstly, I made them with match sticks and then with Paddle Pop sticks with bark on them. They play and work well.
When I get out of prison, I will be doing match-work and woodwork during the day and at night I will be doing pottery work. I would like my children to be involved with this because I can see the benefits they can get out of being creative.
It is important to me to learn Aboriginal art. When I started doing art I didn’t know much about it and I didn’t have any skills. Now I have good skills and I can help the other men with their work. It makes me feel good about myself by helping them. I was a billet for four years in the pottery room and was responsible for keeping the art room clean. I learnt to use a wet rag to wipe down surfaces and the floor, as the dust is not good for your health.
The art and pottery rooms are good for us fellas to get together and share a space that is culturally relevant. It helps to strengthen our cultural ties and bond as Aboriginal men in a positive and helpful environment.
I can hand-build with clay and use the pottery wheel now. I have made small animals; large ones too. The large ones are a wombat and an elephant. Before I started pottery I did match-work and Paddle Pop stick-building. I made a one storey house first, then I built a two storey one, then finally a three-storey mansion which was fully furnished and stood one meter high. After these projects I began to make didgeridoos. Firstly, I made them with match sticks and then with Paddle Pop sticks with bark on them. They play and work well.
When I get out of prison, I will be doing match-work and woodwork during the day and at night I will be doing pottery work. I would like my children to be involved with this because I can see the benefits they can get out of being creative.
Including a piece about kids dancing and going walkabout and Chippa's interpretation of Country.
This interview was part of Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service’s Invasion Day webinar in January this year. The Q&A spoke to an incredible panel of First Nations people, each with their own unique experiences of the criminal legal system.
This is my interpretation of Country. The greens and browns take me back to the quiet and secluded areas I've worked on and stayed on whilst camping and living off Country.
A wide-ranging report commissioned by the federal government has called for “urgent and proactive” system-level reforms to improve the standard of health care provided to First Nations people in prison.
Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
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