Tradition goes Vertical: First Nations Storytellers tap into Traditional Knowledge

Photo Supplied: Vaimo’oi’a Ripley. Retrieved from abc.net.au

The week-long skills training brought together eight participants from across the Pacific and Australia, including Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Nauru, Samoa, and Vanuatu.

Two participants represented partner organisations Vanuatu Broadcasting Television Corporation (VBTC) and Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP).

Providing participants with a mobile journalism (mojo) kit, the goal of the week was to learn how to plan, shoot and edit climate and traditional knowledge related stories from their local communities.

For Gimuy First Nations Australian participant Talicia Minniecon, who has ties to Ambrym Island in Vanuatu, the connection with other story tellers was particularly meaningful.

“Being Indigenous Peoples, one of the biggest things we do very well is connect with other people. Connecting with all the different delegates has been, for me, very enriching,” she says.

“I’ve learnt a lot in terms of their cultural knowledge, their skill set, and what they bring to the table when it comes to a setting like this.”