2 days ago
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
First Nations festival gives a taste of an ancient culture
On a warm night in the town of Jabiru in the Northern Territory - locals and Traditional Owners are uncovering a ground oven, with food for hundreds of people. The cook-up is part of an annual food event named Taste of Kakadu, connecting visitors with people who live in Jabiru. It is an event though which First Nations' culture is shared and celebrated. Although buffalo is an animal that was introduced during colonisation - first on the Tiwi Islands around 1825 - today, this shared meal is opening conversations among people who have never been introduced to the delicacy. "It's my first time tasting buffalo and I really like it. This is my first time really connecting with Aboriginal culture, and I really love it" For 22-year-old Siah Miargu, it's also a time to grow her skills as a junior ranger and guide. Guests are sharing a meal of barramundi, bush potatoes and a sweet treat, with Siah showing how to eat "wunt wunt". "This is wunt wunt… we just open up, we normally just clean this out, or eat it like this. I tell them the story how our ancestors walked around this area to look for bush tuckers." Yellow Water and the surrounding floodplain is the heart of Kakadu and is an important food source for those living on Country, including up to a million Magpie geese, a bird that is special to Traditional Owners. Paul Iskov is a chef from Western Australia who is cooking at the Taste of Kakadu. His role involves not just preparing traditional cuisine, but understanding the origin of each ingredient. "It's really nice to hear those stories about ingredients that connect country up here. The water lily's are down where you catch the barramundi and this cheeky yam is pretty much on the side of the bank as well, so all those ingredients tie together." Paul is known among chefs as Yoda and has travelled to Kakadu many times to develop culinary dishes - and the Kakadu plum is one that has captured global attention. Queensland researchers in September last year, found the fruit has antioxidant properties. Scientific research, now reinforcing traditional knowledge that has been known for thousands of years. And it is knowledge like this that has enriched the experience of visitors, experiencing the First Nations event. "There definitely needs to be more stuff like this, if this was more frequent, you'd definitely get more people looking into it." Creating opportunities to listen and learn.
