Part Three: Living the Story
The story of the Dunggirr (Koala) Brothers and the Caring Song of the Whale offers a powerful example of what it means to live a story. When the brothers were in danger, it was the whale who sang for them—who carried them to safety through an act of deep care. This story is not just a lesson from the past; it continues in the present. Gumbaynggirr people live this story through ceremony, through song, through the ways they uphold their relationships with land and kin.
The Dunggirr Brothers were saved through the care of the whale. Gumbaynggirr people continue to honour that care by keeping the story alive. If you have accepted the invitation to step into the story from Part 2 of this Learning Experience, then we invite you to ask yourself:
What is my role in living it?
This is what it means to live a story: to understand that memory is not just something we hold, but something we do.
If you have stepped into the story of land and its contested realities, then this is the next challenge: How will you live in the story of respect, care, reciprocity, and responsibility?
Consider:
The whale sang for the Dunggirr Brothers in their time of need—who or what is calling for care today?
If stories are sustained through ceremony and practice, what happens when they are disrupted? What responsibilities do non-Indigenous people have in restoring and protecting them?
What does it mean for Land Back to not just be about return, but about reawakening relationships—about living the stories that connect people and place
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The book comes with Teachers Notes guided by Aunty Shaa that may support teachers engaging with their students cross curriculum in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures, and Sustainability.