Our year 3 students were very excited to explore a different type of storytelling this week. Through VR headsets, our students were transported to experience the songs, legends and dances of the Pamagirri peoples of Far North Queensland.
We learned that whilst never written down, traditional stories and lessons have been passed down for over 10,000 years through oral stories and artforms.
The culturally significant art of storytelling through dance was accompanied by clapping sticks, didgeridoos & clapping boomerangs.
We learned that these particular dances that hold a special significance to the Paragirri peoples:
- Biba myon – a traditional welcome dance
- Ngukun – the mosquito dance. This involved burning leaves to then swish the leaves’ oils and smoke over themselves as a natural repellent.
- Parmagirri – the snake dance. This is also the name of their ‘mob’ and a most significant story about their own identity
Finally, students practiced searching for indigenous bush tucker within the virtual reality environment. Some collecting a variety of termites, wattle seeds, honey ants, dessert mushrooms, kookaburra, witchety grubs, cats tails reeds and fish as they experienced the different world of one of the oldest surviving cultures in the world.
