The consultation process continues on the design of Bega Valley Shire Council’s long awaited welcome signs to be placed at three shire entrances.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Thaua man Steven Holmes originally raised concerns over social media when council proposed placing the Dhurga language word for welcome, Njindjiwaan, on the signs.
We got our point across that nobody should have a say over traditional owners.
- Rhonda Mongta
A following redesign of the sign scrapped the language concept in favour of acknowledgement of the region’s traditional custodians, the Thaua and Djiringanj people.
However, the redesign also included the Bidawal people who local traditional custodians say inhabited the East Gippsland area south of the Victorian border.
Mr Holmes joined Ngarigo woman Rhonda Mongta and Ngarigo and Djiringanj Elder Ellen Mundy in meeting with council’s economic development manager Daniel Murphy on Friday to discuss the proposed redesign.
Ms Mundy said the region south of the border and to the south of Thaua land was traditionally Kurnai, but was also inhabited by “broken men”, or those who had broken traditional law.
Anthropologist Alfred William Howitt described the Bidawal as a “non-genealogical tribe” of social outcasts who “organised themselves, as far as they could do so”.
According to the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages, the term Bidawal describes “scrub dwellers”, which was a “derogatory description conferred on these people”.
Mr Holmes said he felt positive traditional custodians are “getting somewhere” with the consultation process. “They [council] are listening to us.”
Ms Mongta also said she was happy with discussions at the meeting.
“We got our point across that nobody should have a say over traditional owners,” she said.
A council spokesperson said their consultation process will continue, as they work towards completing and erecting the signs.
“Council will continue to have conversations with families on a way to represent the local communities. There’s a clear way forward and the community has given us a better understanding about people who live in the shire,” they said.
Ms Mundy said with local government and land council boundaries differing from cultural traditional boundaries, traditional custodians are often left out of cultural discussions.
She said she was concerned council’s Memorandum of Understanding with the community is “just a handshake” and not a legally binding agreement.
“We still have contingent rights within our traditional boundaries, native title rights and interest within our clan land and traditional boundary which does not belong to local land council, state land council, state government and shire councils.
“Government legislated bodies have nothing to do with our culture or history.
“They should be contacting traditional owners whether it’s sacred sites or traditional boundaries.”