K'gari

Fraser Island's national park renamed K'gari, meaning paradise

Posted Monday, 24 April 2017 at 6:43am

The national park that spans almost all of Queensland's Fraser Island has been renamed "K'gari", a partial victory for traditional owners who are campaigning to rename the whole island.

K'gari, pronounced "gurri" and meaning paradise, is what the Butchulla people have always called the island, derived from its Dreamtime creation story.

Three signs with the new name will be installed at the heritage-listed island's three barge landings, where they can be seen by some 800,000 visitors annually.

"It's important because everyone, especially the Butchulla people, when they go over there and they step onto K'gari, Fraser Island, and see our signs, they will know that this is our country," said elder and Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation director Ms Bird.

"It's a wonderful feeling."

Fraser Island's national park renamed K'gari, meaning paradise

Opening Sequence

“Here time isn’t lineal, the present and the past overlap. Since the beginning of time the Butchulla people have lived on our island.”

Activity 1

1. What does the opening visual tell us about what is to come in the interactive?

2. Why is it important to have an understanding of the past when we are in the present?

3. Conduct some research into Aboriginal concepts of the Dreaming and the Dreamtime and the Torres Strait Islander Stories of the Tagai. What do you think is meant by “Since the beginning of time” after exploring these? How do these terms contribute to the idea of time not being lineal.

4. This interactive animation explores the concept ‘Fake News’. What is meant by ‘Fake News’? What are its impacts (negative or positive) and how can these effect generations presently and into the future? Where do we get our ‘news’ from? How do we know whether a source is reputable or not?

Activity 2

What is the irony about the statement “we were driven on an unknown island, inhabited by a savage race of people”? How does this language dehumanise the Butchulla people who lived and cared for the island?

Activity 3

1. What is the visual significance of the ocean washing away the narrative of Eliza and revealing the truth?

2. Compare Eliza’s and Fiona’s narrative. Which one presents a more holistic account of the history of K’gari. How does this effect the ‘truth telling’ of K’gari and the Butchulla people?

Activity 4

Through the interactive animation, we are made aware of changes in Eliza’s recounts of her experience of being ‘stranded’ on K’gari.

1. Why do you think Eliza’s recount changed?

2. Do you think Eliza’s altered version should have been published?

3. Whose responsibility is it to ensure the truth is being told?

4. How does this changing recount contribute to the dehumanising of Aboriginal people?

5. Should the media who published the story take some of the responsibility? Why/why not?

6. How do recounts like Eliza’s continue to have an impact today? E.g. the K’gari dual naming project and negative stereotypes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

7. How do you think the Butchulla people would have reported the event?

8. Discuss the impact that ‘fake news’ and colonial mythmaking had and continues to have, on Aboriginal communities.

9. How much of history is fake? Is history necessarily true?

Activity 5

“The truth got lost. The stories Eliza tells about the “beasts” and “savages” fed the negative stereotypes of Aboriginal people. Her words inflamed the colonial prejudices that would be used down the track to justify the killing and dispossession of Aboriginal people. Her words took our humanity away.”

What is Fiona Foley saying in this quote? Why are ‘beasts’ and ‘savages’ in inverted commas? How were Eliza’s words used to “justify the killing and dispossession of Aboriginal people” down the track?

Looking at the visuals, discuss how Eliza’s lies aided in taking away Aboriginal peoples humanity? What do you think is the significance of the chain? What are some of the intergenerational impacts of unjust colonial policies and practices dispossession of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from their Country, cultures and communities?

Terra Nullius could be seen as Australia’s first piece of ‘fake news’. Research the meaning of Terra Nullius and its use in Australia. Consider the following questions:

· How was Terra Nullius used to oppress Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples?

· What did Terra Nullius mean for the colonialists?

· How and when was it overturned?

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