Thukeri - Units of Work
Click here for the Discussion Plans relating to the ethics in this story.
Understanding Dreaming Stories (English/History)
Outback gum by Mark Wassell
Before looking at the Thukeri dreaming story in more detail, students should learn to think about the purposes of these stories. The information below was adapted from a paper 'Kangaroos, Koalas, Kookaburras and many more..,. in Aboriginal Dreaming Stories' by Christina Ferreira Pinto. I found it particularly useful in understanding the nature and purpose of Dreaming stories.
Read the information below to yourself. When starting to talk about Dreaming stories with your class, it is important to emphasise the three functions that Dreaming stories fulfil in Aboriginal culture: to convey information about the landscape (locations and landforms), to explain natural phenomena (flora and fauna) and to teach lessons about ethics (right and wrong).
Read the information below to yourself. When starting to talk about Dreaming stories with your class, it is important to emphasise the three functions that Dreaming stories fulfil in Aboriginal culture: to convey information about the landscape (locations and landforms), to explain natural phenomena (flora and fauna) and to teach lessons about ethics (right and wrong).
The Dreaming is a term used by Aboriginal people to describe relations between the spiritual, natural and moral elements of the world. It relates to a period before living memory or experience - a time of creator ancestors and supernatural beings. This period is called the Dreamtime. The expression 'Dreamtime' is therefore often used to refer to the 'time before time', or the time of the creation of all things, while 'Dreaming' is often used to refer to an individual's or group's beliefs but most of the times they are used interchangeably... They are not made up stories; they are factual events from long ago. The Dreaming means their identity as people. It forms the body of knowledge that guides all Aboriginal societies. It is the Law.
The Dreamtime stories vary throughout Australia and there are often many versions on the same theme. The stories and characters fulfil three different functions:
To convey information about the landscape
To explain natural phenomena
To teach lessons about morality, ethics and the right behaviour.
The story of Thukeri contains the following information:
- Care and respect for others and the environment: the men should only have taken enough fish to feed their families.
- There are consequences for bad behaviour: the men are punished for their greediness and for lying.
- Men and women have different roles: the men go fishing while the women gather vegetables.
- The acts of individuals affect the group: the Ngarrindjeri people could no longer eat that fish because it's too bony.
Thukeri also teaches us about the natural environment:
- the environment in the Lake Alexandrina area - major landmarks, local plants and the best fishing spots
- how the Ngarrindjeri people use the natural resources
- characteristics of the bony bream
Concerning the spiritual world, we learn that Ngurunderi is always watching the people to make sure they are obeying the law; and that the Spirit Ancestors enforce the law by punishing the two men.
Dust Echoes
There is an excellent website - Dust Echoes - that has a variety of animated Dreaming stories that are suitable for your class. It is good because it has the video animation, text about the original story and what it means, a quiz and information about where the story came from.
I particularly enjoyed the story of the Mimis and found it easy to relate the story to the three purposes of Dreaming stories.
Show your class a variety of Dreaming stories. Ask each student to draw up a table (with each row representing a different story) and list the information learned under three columns: Locations, Nature and Ethics.
If you think they are going to struggle with this initially, you could start with some personal anecdotes and discuss where they happened, what it tells us about nature and what it tells us about right or wrong.
Once you have practised looking at the meanings of Dreaming stories, look at the meaning of Thukeri. Get students to write in sentences about what Thukeri tells us about the land, nature and ethics and get them to show evidence by quoting sections of the Thukeri story.
I particularly enjoyed the story of the Mimis and found it easy to relate the story to the three purposes of Dreaming stories.
Show your class a variety of Dreaming stories. Ask each student to draw up a table (with each row representing a different story) and list the information learned under three columns: Locations, Nature and Ethics.
If you think they are going to struggle with this initially, you could start with some personal anecdotes and discuss where they happened, what it tells us about nature and what it tells us about right or wrong.
Once you have practised looking at the meanings of Dreaming stories, look at the meaning of Thukeri. Get students to write in sentences about what Thukeri tells us about the land, nature and ethics and get them to show evidence by quoting sections of the Thukeri story.
Location (Society and Environment/History)
David R Horton
© Aboriginal Studies Press
Get students to take a look at this high-resolution map of Aboriginal Australia from the ABC website.Students need to find the land that was occupied by the Ngarrindjeri people. The Thukeri Dreaming story was created by these people and you will be able to see where the story is set. You can also get them to find the location of the Kaurna people that resided in the area where Adelaide is now.
Once they have found this area, get them to use Google Maps (or something similar) to work out what towns and locations are located in this area.
Students are to draw a map that shows the areas where that Kaurna and Ngarrindjeri resided and the location of any cities, towns or important landforms (for example, Lake Alexandrina) in that region. Depending on the year level you are working with, your expectations about drawing to scale or including more detail (like roads) can change.
Once they have found this area, get them to use Google Maps (or something similar) to work out what towns and locations are located in this area.
Students are to draw a map that shows the areas where that Kaurna and Ngarrindjeri resided and the location of any cities, towns or important landforms (for example, Lake Alexandrina) in that region. Depending on the year level you are working with, your expectations about drawing to scale or including more detail (like roads) can change.
Loveday Bay
The map on the right is from the Government of South Australia's Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board website. It shows the Loveday Bay wetland, a floodplain depression located on the south eastern shore of Lake Alexandrina.
Using Google Maps, students should be able to match this picture to the location of Loveday Bay. Click on the picture to go to the website. You can then click on the two red camera icons on the picture to see what Loveday Bay looks like from the ground. |
Key Idea 3.4 & 4.4 : Students analyse spatial associations in Australian and other regions, according to such factors as location, natural and built features, changing populations, employment, resources, transport and government decisions. They consider critically the differentials in power and access of individuals and groups in relation to valued community resources.
Early Australian Artists (Art/History)
When the British people came to colonise Australia in the 1700's, people wanted to document the locations, animals and plants that they came across. Have a look at the work of these famous early Australian artists - William Bradley, George Raper and John Lewin. Of course, there were no cameras in this time - so these artists went out to accurately depict what they saw. When you look at George Raper's fish drawings, or John Lewin's plant paintings, you can tell that they have put a lot of detail into their artwork.William Bradley focussed on painting landscapes.
We are now going to use the Georama website which includes 360 degree panoramics of the Coorong National Park (which include recorded sounds from the location). Have a look at all these locations within the Ngarrindjeri landscape. If you are working only with a Smartboard, your class might want to vote on a location to draw. You might have access to computers or laptops where students can choose their own landscape.
Students are to draw or paint the landscape from one of these images as accurately as they can, like William Bradley created his landscapes.
We are now going to use the Georama website which includes 360 degree panoramics of the Coorong National Park (which include recorded sounds from the location). Have a look at all these locations within the Ngarrindjeri landscape. If you are working only with a Smartboard, your class might want to vote on a location to draw. You might have access to computers or laptops where students can choose their own landscape.
Students are to draw or paint the landscape from one of these images as accurately as they can, like William Bradley created his landscapes.
Making a Canoe (Design and Technology)
Woodbut by Phillip Parker King, 1818
Students are to design a canoe to hold as many Thukeri pas possible. You can choose what your students make the canoe out of (it may be as simple as cardboard, or you may have other natural or man made materials they can use). Be sure to have a load of Thukeri (small pebbles or stones) at your disposal. Students design the canoe in groups. The boat that can hold the most Thukeri is the winner.
You can either leave this activity open to the students' imaginations, or you can have them research traditional Aboriginal canoes as part of their research before building the canoe.
This University of Wollongong page has a brief list of early artworks that show Aboriginal canoes in use. You can see some of the joining techniques and binding points used in the design common to these artworks.
This Sydney Morning Herald article talks about people learning to build traditional Aboriginal canoes. This is an interesting article and includes some excellent vocabulary that students could look into (e.g. euphoria, provocative, anonymous). Students can write a persuasive text on why we should pass on traditional Aboriginal knowledge. The article looks at some reasons and students could elaborate with their own.
You can either leave this activity open to the students' imaginations, or you can have them research traditional Aboriginal canoes as part of their research before building the canoe.
This University of Wollongong page has a brief list of early artworks that show Aboriginal canoes in use. You can see some of the joining techniques and binding points used in the design common to these artworks.
This Sydney Morning Herald article talks about people learning to build traditional Aboriginal canoes. This is an interesting article and includes some excellent vocabulary that students could look into (e.g. euphoria, provocative, anonymous). Students can write a persuasive text on why we should pass on traditional Aboriginal knowledge. The article looks at some reasons and students could elaborate with their own.
Key Idea 3.1 & 4.1 : Students analyse and explain the design decisions and thinking implicit in products, processes and systems made by themselves and others. They develop an initial understanding of the competitive nature of the designed and made world.
Key Idea 3.4 & 4.4 : Students demonstrate skills in creating products, processes and systems that achieve consistent production outcomes. They apply these skills in enterprising and empowering ways to personal and group situations.
Key Idea 3.5 & 4.5 : Students apply their knowledge of the characteristics of materials and equipment when creating solutions and designing to meet criteria related to function, aesthetics, sustainability and production.
Tourism Pamphlet for the Coorong National Park (ACARA English)
Your students will be creating a pamphlet to lure tourists to the Coorong. Their product will need to include:
To start the project, get students to find and bring in a variety of tourism brochures to view and analyse. What kind of information is often found in tourist brochures? How is it often laid out? Once they have a good idea of how to lay out a tourism brochure, get them to research the information they need.
There are two PDF documents that will be helpful to students when they are designing/writing their own pamphlet - Camping in SA's Natural Parks and the Coorong Camping Map and Information. I have included both below to give you a preview before using with your class.
- A map of the park or a section of the park
- A section on camping ethics
- A piece of text persuading the reader to visit the campsite
- A list with elaborations on what attractions can be found in and around the park
To start the project, get students to find and bring in a variety of tourism brochures to view and analyse. What kind of information is often found in tourist brochures? How is it often laid out? Once they have a good idea of how to lay out a tourism brochure, get them to research the information they need.
There are two PDF documents that will be helpful to students when they are designing/writing their own pamphlet - Camping in SA's Natural Parks and the Coorong Camping Map and Information. I have included both below to give you a preview before using with your class.
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On the second page of the Coorong National Park pamphlet, read to students the first paragraph on the second page: “We all need to get back to nature now and then – to escape the rush of the modern world and reconnect with our friends, our family and most importantly, ourselves. Spending a night or two camping in tranquil natural surrounds can reawaken our senses and remind us of life’s simple pleasures; the sound of kookaburras laughing in the trees, the taste of camp cooking, the thrill of a challenging hike or just the chance to sit quietly and marvel at the sparkling canopy of stars above.” Discuss how this is a persuasive text, trying to persuade the reader to visit a national park. Talk about the different persuasive strategies the writer has used, such as visualisation when talking about looking at the stars. Students will need to use these persuasive devices when creating their pamphlet.
ACELA1522: Investigate how complex sentences can be used in a variety of ways to elaborate, extend and explain ideas
ACELA1523: Understand how ideas can be expanded and sharpened through careful choice of verbs, elaborated tenses and a range of adverb groups/phrases
ACELA1525: Investigate how vocabulary choices, including evaluative language can express shades of meaning, feeling and opinion
ACELA1615: Identify and explain how choices in language, for example modality, emphasis, repetition and metaphor, influence personal response to different texts
ACELY1714: Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience