Women’s Business

At Gunawirra we believe that connecting with our culture benefits our physical and emotional wellbeing. Our Women’s Business Program focuses on making ancient wisdom, tools, and culture relevant to our families in the 21st century. It is designed to reconnect mothers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with a sense of belonging, enhancing their knowledge and understanding of cultural practices. In this way, culture is a living expression that helps our mothers to feel confident as women, secure in the value of their own knowledge and worth.

What is Women’s Business?

Women’s business is about the gender sacredness of our relationships and responsibilities to the planet as a woman. Raising a child is the biggest responsibility any person can have because our children are precious, and they belong to the planet.

Women’s business is meant to restore harmony. It teaches women about the knowledge systems on our reciprocal relationships and responsibilities. Access to this knowledge is a gift and forms a contract of reciprocity. One piece of knowledge connects to all other systems.

Mothers have the responsibility of having the strength to raise their children to be what they will be. The learning of cultural knowledge is highly interconnected to learning this responsibility.

“My focus is always on a contemplative understanding of cultural practice where we are always exploring the why of what we are doing. This is important to build an understanding on the interconnectedness of all of life’s systems.”

Joanne Selfe | Women’s Cultural Facilitator

Warura (String) Theory

Aboriginal knowledge systems are a complex tapestry that interweave with cultural and social practice. As a cultural practitioner, holder of sky knowledge, and master grass weaver, Aunty Joanne Selfe uses the cultural practice of weaving to share her understanding of intricate Aboriginal knowledge systems. Our mothers learn to Warurabanga (make string), a metaphor for the interconnectedness of all living things, practicing the respectful ways we may engage with and lean into our culture. Bringing tradition to the 21st century, the women have the opportunity to learn of a number of weaving techniques using modern product to engage with this ancient tradition, the tradition of our women.

Aboriginal Ways of seeing the Night Sky

Aunty Joanne shares intricate knowledge of Aboriginal ways of seeing the night sky she learnt from her own mother, Elders and community knowledge holders with the mothers and children in our Gunawirra family. Our mothers and children enjoy learning to find the Emu in the Sky, stories connected with Emu both in the sky and on land, its significance and the importance of scientific knowledge contained within. In this way we are able to stand under yanada gili (moonlight) see Emu or mulumulu (clusters of falling), just as our ancestors did before us, we look up.

Yarning in our Native Garden

We have a beautiful outdoor space and native garden planted by our Gunawirra families, the children specially enjoy watering the plants and watching them grow, harvesting the food for a feed. Here we yarn up.

Yarning is a conversation that flows in a positive direction just respectfully listening and supporting, all whilst caring for the little ones, weaving, painting, or preparing food, the ultimate space to sit and create together. We sit in circle so no one is in front no-one is behind – so we are all equal and so our ancestors can sit around us holding space, supporting and moving through us. No one ‘leads’ a Yarn Circle and there is no implied hierarchy. We are all sharing what we know, guided by our elders.

Connecting Body, Earth and Spirit

In Aboriginal dreaming we connect the body, earth and spirit. Drawing upon these cultural ways of being is something we can transfer into all aspects of life. Connecting to Country means caring for our bodies, the earth and the spirit. We encourage the Mums to be mindful with the foods they choose to eat and help encourage them to eat traditional foods. Treading lightly on this land is an important part of connecting to it, as when our earth is sick so too are we. A big part of Aboriginal dreaming is connecting in the spirit of past, present and future. Healing Circles help to take time to connect and live more mindfully through deep listening and deep contemplation.

Women’s Business

What is Women’s Business?

Warura (String) Theory

Aboriginal Ways of seeing the Night Sky

Yarning in our Native Garden

Connecting Body, Earth and Spirit

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