Abstract
This chapter explores the particularities of placemaking in the south-eastern Australian capital city, Melbourne . The Wurundjeri peoples have occupied the place for 40,000–60,000 years. Since colonisation by the English in 1834 Wurundjeri’s placemaking practices have been shaped by the histories of colonisation, and ongoing political, economic and legal contingencies, as much as they have by precolonial traditions . Wurundjeri, like most Indigenous peoples around the world, suffer economic and political marginalisation and consequently have limited capacity to use architecture as a means of staking out territory or expressing contemporary social identity. Instead they have used varied contemporary Indigenous placemaking approaches to reclaim place in the city, some that have emerged from traditional Indigenous practices, and others that have developed through encounters with (and in reaction to) colonising forces.
A.M. Gardiner—In many Indigenous communities across Australia, the title ‘Aunty’ (or ‘Uncle’) is given to Elders as a mark of respect.
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Notes
- 1.
For a brief summary of songlines, see NAIDOC (2016). For a more detailed and specific discussion, see Benterrak and Muecke’s collaboration with Goolarabooloo . Elder, Paddy Roe, (Benterrak et al. 1984) and Watson and Chambers collaboration with Yolgnu (alt. sp. Yolŋu, Yuulngu) peoples (Watson et al. 1989).
- 2.
Go-Sam has Dyirbal heritage from far north Queensland.
- 3.
The camp was recorded by participants in the form of a blog which can be found at: https://campsovereignty.wordpress.com/. More information about the Black GST can be found at Robbie Thorpe ’s website, Treaty Republic, http://treatyrepublic.net/.
- 4.
The Act recognises Indigenous Australians’ right to practise traditional culture on their customary lands. But it also extinguishes those rights where they are inconsistent with other laws, such as freehold and leasehold title (Parliament of Australia 1993).
- 5.
There was a conversation, Contextualising the William Barak Apartment Building, hosted by the Koorie Heritage Trust held at Deakin Edge, Federation Square on 24 March 2015. The speakers included Aunty Joy Wandin Murphy (Wurundjeri Senior Elder), Linda Kennedy (Dharawal woman studying Masters of Architecture at the University of Melbourne ), Jefa Greenaway. (Wailwan /Gamillaraay man and only registered Aboriginal architect in Victoria ), Carey Lyon from Lyons and Howard Raggatt of Ashton Raggatt MacDougall . The panel was moderated by Andrew Mackenzie , former editor of Architectural Review. The recording is available at http://www.fedsquare.com/news/contextualising-the-william-barak-apartment-building. Carroll Go-Sam , speaking at a summit in the State Library of Queensland concurs, warning that although the William Barak building is a provocative and political statement that reinforces Wurundjeri ownership of Country , it does not fix the lack of Indigenous place in Melbourne. She advocates a holistic approach that focuses on a building’s function not just its appearance (Malo 2017).
- 6.
This is discussed in more detail in the chapter by Anoma Pieris and Gary Murray within this book.
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Acknowledgements
This research was funded by an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant: Indigenous Place-making in Central Melbourne : Representations, Practices and Creative Research, 2010–2014. Linkage Partners included the City of Melbourne, The Victorian Traditional Owners Land Justice Group and Reconciliation Victoria . The research team included Janet McGaw , Anoma Pieris and Emeritus Professor Graham Brawn , from the University of Melbourne ’s Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, and Emily Potter , from Deakin University’s School of Communication & Creative Arts.
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Gardiner, A.M., McGaw, J. (2018). Indigenous Placemaking in Urban Melbourne: A Dialogue Between a Wurundjeri Elder and a Non-Indigenous Architect and Academic. In: Grant, E., Greenop, K., Refiti, A., Glenn, D. (eds) The Handbook of Contemporary Indigenous Architecture. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6904-8_22
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