I am sitting in my apartment in an inner-western suburb of Melbourne. My fuzzy socks are on, I’m kicking back having a good-ole time- it’s home enough.
The concept of home really interests me. It’s so complex yet simple- embodying both material and completely non-physical aspects of a place and sense of being. For me- home is where I hang my hat. It is where my family teases me, where friends genuinely care about me, and where I feel a sense of belonging. Belonging. An incredibly sacred state of being for all walks of life.
This is stolen land under settler-colonialism. This applies to land here in Australia, and back home in Canada. Land acknowledgment is only one small step of reconciliation.
The Indigenous peoples of this land specifically in this Victoria region are the Woimurrung and Boonwurrung tribes of the Kulin Nation. They have honoured this land for centuries. I am so very grateful to be taking two Indigenous courses while I am studying here at university in order to gain further knowledge of their diverse traditions, respect and relationship with nature, and historical pasts before and after colonization. With my deepest respect, I acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land.
Here is an interesting website on Aboriginal statistics, culture, and art, and a guide to appropriate acknowledgement of country.
The image, btw, is a quick sketch I did recently of the Maribyrnong River that traditionally served as a sacred ceremonial and trading route.
m&m
Me And Melbourne by Eco-Me 