Past Paths

SERIES 34 | Episode 01

Clarence and Hannah are on Boon Wurrung and Woi Wurrung Country to meet the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne’s Aboriginal Learning Facilitator, Jakobi. Jakobi is a Gunditijimara and Djap Wurrung man who has worked at the Gardens for four years, taking tours of the plants and educating visitors about the Indigenous past and present of the landscape.

The Botanic Gardens sits on the lands of the Kulin Nations, a coalition of five language groups—the Boon Wurrung, Woi Wurrung, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wadawurrung, and Taungurung. Jakobi explains the history of the large lake. ‘Even though we call it Ornamental Lake today, this area’s name is Trommebin. You might think it’s a man-made lake, but it’s always been here. The river used to flow into this landscape and flow out. The Birrarung, or Yarra River, has salty water, but this lake now has fresh water which we use for irrigation in the Gardens.’

The whole area was wetlands—swampy country—with a massive abundance of birdlife, plants, and animals. It was an important ceremonial grounds because it could host tens of thousands of peoples on these lands as they came together for ceremony, it could feed all those people. Clarence observes, ‘for mob it would be teeming with life, with all of the plant life, it would have been teeming with food.’

Jakobi reflects on the present of the landscape, ‘here in the Botanic Gardens we have a lot of weddings, events and functions. Looking back in time, that’s what mob has always done here in this area. They came together for marriage, trade, to settle disputes over competition. We think we have ownership over the land, but the land dictates us.’

Jakobi takes Clarence and Hannah to explore Long Island, an area dedicated to native plants and cultural plantings. ‘Everything you see here has providence to the local area, so it’s what you would find along the Birrarung or Merri Creek.’ He points out vanilla lily, chocolate lily, and Murnong; all ‘tuberous plants with big roots were a staple food source for mob from this area.’

They check out the collection of native orchids. A lot of these have disappeared from the landscape, some classified as extinct, but a random change in the landscape, a fire where it hadn’t been for decades, or a big flood, can be enough of a message to the microscopic seed in the seedbank to activate it to grow, and we will have an orchid almost appear out of nowhere.’

Jakobi shows them an eel-trap weaved by a beloved Wurundjeri elder, made of Lomandra and Cumbungi. He uses this in cultural education programs to show how Wurundjeri people hunt and trap eels, ‘I love connecting science back to culture, the way it works mimics the natural habitat that eels would live in and has a small exit that allows baby eels to escape from, but a mature eel won’t be able to turn around and can be trapped.’  Hannah observes, ‘it’s a beautiful example of biomimicry being used for a functional purpose.’

Clarence says, ‘it warms my heart to hear from young Aboriginal people practicing culture, keeping culture alive, helping mother nature to do what she’s always done.’

Filmed on Boon Wurrung & Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country | Melbourne, Vic