Ms Kylie Lower1,2, Ms Anoinette Hennessy1
1Blackwood Heritage Consulting, Blackwood, Australia , 2Flinders University, Bedford Park, Australia
The forced migration of Aboriginal people is often ignored in discussions about migrants, especially the emotional stress, turmoil and intergenerational trauma that is still felt today. We have documented the ‘Return to Country’ with three Aboriginal groups in South Australia with whom we have made conscious efforts to engage, record and document individuals’ emotions and feelings associated with being on Country. Despite their many losses since European colonisation, our findings illustrate a strong attachment to Country that has been passed down through the generations. By capturing moments of self-reflection using visual media and writing, we show that Aboriginal people specifically remain connected to their native lands and environment. Data was collected through numerous cultural heritage surveys conducted with each group, and at Native Title Determinations. Our approach draws on non-representational theory.
Kylie Lower Is PhD student in community-based archaeology at Flinders University and Director of Blackwood Heritage Consulting and has interests in emotional archaeology, cultural landscapes, non-representational theory and Indigenous Nation Building.
Biography:
Kylie Lower holds a MA in the role of Landscape Archaeology in Indigenous Nation Building. She is also a PhD student in at Flinders University studying the role of non-representational theory and Director of Blackwood Heritage Consulting. She is interested in emotional archaeology, cultural landscapes, non-representational theory and Indigenous Nation Building.