By Sahar Foladi
Mission Australia has brought out a strong bond amongst women through its weaving circle program for Aboriginal women.
The women’s weaving yarn circle is a 10-week program facilitated by Mission Australia chaplain Steve Beeby in Dandenong in collaboration with local Aboriginal organisations.
Participants learn not just how to weave but also to share strong bonds and connections.
Merilyn Duff a proud Trawlwoolway woman is one of the very active women within the Aboriginal community and in a working capacity for over 35 years.
“The project is about bringing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women together some women may not be Aboriginal but have Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children.
“We’re very proud of what we’ve created so far over the next couple of weeks we’ll start joining it altogether so we hope it should be about three meters long and two meters high.”
The ultimate aim is to create a large wall hanging created by 20 to 25 women who’d worked on different parts of the piece over the course of 10 weeks.
The piece will be placed in the Mission Australia Dandenong office for the public to admire.
“It’s a beautiful project, it’s a coming together of different women that most of us knew or had some contact with each other but it’s become a strong network of weavers so I’m hoping this will be something that will go on,” Ms Duff said.
“A lot of us wanted to learn to weave but always struggled to keep it up.
“We have learnt heaps and it’s been about community and connections.”
Aunty Irene Norman a Wailwan woman, has taken the lead to teach the group about traditional Aboriginal weaving styles and ways.
“It’s excellent because it’s always good to sit with the women, to know I’m passing traditional weaving, talent, and abilities.
“The more people I teach, the more they teach their children and hopefully that goes on for generations after generations. We’re just a little small part but its spreading as we teach.”
Some women including Ms Duff has already begun to teach other ladies how to weave after learning it from Aunty Irene creating “ripples in a pond” as she called it.
“By using raffia with a paper cord to go in the centre, and it can make anything from a flat platter, a women’s healing mat, bowls and they’re quite permanent,” Aunty Irene said.
As every participant contributes in their own unique way, the final piece will be more than just artwork as it’ll represent staying true to one’s cultural identity.
