Traditional Doll and Animal Making
Join Ronnie Jordan from Culture on the Move.
Ronnie is a Kalkadoon, Pitta Pitta woman, now living in the Southern Tablelands on Ngunawal County.
Join Ronnie as she takes you through an introduction to the ancient art of Indigenous weaving using modern and traditional materials. Make a doll or animal and on the way gain an understanding of how Indigenous culture is very much alive and gain knowledge of a long-used practice.
Tip: watch the video before you gather your materials and tools together to get inspired.
Materials
- Hay/ Straw – You will need a couple of handfuls for each animal or doll. The more straw the bigger your result. Any left over hay /straw makes great mulch for the garden. Can be purchased at most rural, garden or hardware stores.
- Wool in various colours – Readily available from op shops for a cheap and environmental option. Or check if you already have spare wool around the house.
- Found natural objects – Such as sticks and gum nuts that can be incorporated into the your design. Going for a walk in your garden or nearby park is a great place to find interesting materials to use.
Tools
- A pair of Scissors
- A matt – we recommend doing this activity outside in your garden or a park, better still out in the bush or by a river. A matt makes clean up of excess straw and natural materials super easy to move into a garden bed.
- You might need a broom for clean up.
About Ronnie
Hi my name is Veronica (Ronnie) Jordan I’m a Kalkadoon woman from Mt Isa, I have been teaching and working with my culture for a number of years. I am a proficient trainer specialising in traditional Indigenous games, traditional painting techniques, traditional coil basket weaving incl. animal and doll making and I share my expertise on bush tucker plants. I have taught Indigenous culture to a wide range of people from children to the elderly, Indigenous and non-Indigenous. This includes teaching traditional games at various schools across NSW during NAIDOC week and also at an Aboriginal women’s conference in 2012. In my role as a cultural ranger I taught other Aboriginal women traditional weaving techniques which assisted them to reclaim this knowledge and reinvigorate our culture.
I am a qualified professional weaver who delivers workshops for schools, community groups, cultural organisations, festivals and to government departments. By teaching the cultural techniques it ensures the skill of weaving continues for generations to come. Workshops provide a hands-on experience empowering participants with a sense of connection, as it was designed to do hundreds of years ago.
‘I would like to acknowledge all my cultural educators who have taught me both weaving and animal making, namely Aunty Jenny Dries, Aunty Julie, Clive and Markeeta Freeman, Aunty Phyllis Smith and the Tjanpi weavers who have inspired me with my animal and doll creations’
If you want to find out more about Indigenous weaving and see if Ronnie is doing a workshop near you visit Culture on the Move or follow Ronnie @culture_on_the_move.
Part of Goulburn 2020 supported by the Goulburn Mulwaree Council.
Acknowledging the rich culture of Indigenous Australia during NAIDOC 2020 Always Was, Always Will Be.
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We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the traditional custodians of the lands where we create, live & work.
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