Traditional canoe culture and a new look at Endeavour

by Jude Timms on 17 Nov 2014 This November, for the first time, The Australia National Maritime Museum will be part of Corroboree Sydney - an annual festival celebrating Australia’s rich cultural heritage and featuring leading Indigenous artists, writers, dancers and musicians. The museum will present four days of inspirational events including tours of our Indigenous Gallery, unique vessel tours from an Indigenous perspective and traditional canoe building demonstrations from 27 – 30 November.

The museum will showcase its ongoing NAWI project by presenting a fascinating demonstration of the construction on a traditional Indigenous bark canoe. Community members from around the country will join museum staff to build a NAWI using traditional methods from red stringy bark over the weekend of 29 – 30 November (free).

Canoe communities will also share their stories of past and current projects about Indigenous watercraft and connections in Canoe Conversations. These casual sessions of discussions and presentations on 29 November are free and open to all.

Families inspired by the NAWI building demonstrations can also try their hands at building their own mini versions to take home in free children’s paper canoe workshops for 5 – 12 year olds and their parents also running 29 – 30 November.

During the festival the museum will also be providing special Indigenous interpretation of some of its permanent attractions. Many people who have visited or heard about the museum’s Endeavour replica will have done so from the perspective of it being the vessel that James Cook used to chart the East Coast of Australia. Donna Carstens, the museum’s Indigenous programs manager, will encourage visitors to look at the vessel through different eyes, providing a tour of the ship from an Indigenous perspective.

Donna will also lead visitors through the museum’s Eora gallery, providing a fascinating insight into Indigenous Australians’ intrinsic relationship to water. Fees apply – click here for further information.

'The National Maritime Museum is delighted to be involved in Corroboree Sydney for the first time this year. Our program of events offers something for all the family and complement the museum’s ongoing Indigenous Programs,' said Donna.

Being held from 20 to 30 November, Corroboree Sydney is a festival celebrating Australia’s rich Indigenous culture, featuring leading artists, writers, dancers and musicians showcasing their creativity and sharing stories in over 100 free and ticketed events around Sydney’s iconic foreshore.

Corroboree Sydney is produced in collaboration with Principal Partner Lend Lease and is a collaboration between some of Sydney’s greatest cultural institutions, including the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, Art Gallery of NSW, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Blackfella Films, Koori Radio 93.7FM, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), State Library of NSW, Australian Museum, Sydney Opera House and Royal Botanic Gardens. The festival is proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.

The Australian National Maritime Museum, in Darling Harbour, is open from 9.30am to 5pm daily. All enquiries (02) 9298 3777 or visit the website.