Synopsis

Through our Eyes features Aboriginal Elders and knowledge-holders from the Ngemba, Kamilaroi and Euahlayi language groups describing the land management practices and social, spiritual and cultural knowledge that enabled their people to care for the country for tens of thousands of years.

Aboriginal people walked very lightly across the country and the way they used natural resources, such as water, plants and animals, on a daily basis ensured the long-term sustainability of the environment.

Aboriginal people have a deep connection to the land. Their language group is a major cornerstone of their identity. They belong to the land and believe that everything comes from the land and goes back to the land.

When European people moved into north-west NSW from the 1860s they not only disregarded but disrupted the practices of Aboriginal people. They restricted their access and government policy later forcibly moved Aboriginal people from their traditional lands, which severely affected their ability to practice their culture.

Through our Eyes documents Aboriginal land management practices and cultural knowledge in 19 short documentaries including creation stories of sites, uses of native plants, principles for ensuring healthy water sources and animal populations, using constellations to find food and recollections of the river from the past to the current day.

The DVD contains 19 short films, each of which is approximately 4 minutes long:

1. Through our Eyes: The Project
2. Billabongs
3. Yambacoona Mountain
4. Gilgais and caring for water
5. Dhinawan (emu) in the sky
6. Native foods at Narran Lake
7. Between the river and the red country - Brewarrina and Byrock
8. Using fire to care for country
9. Life on the river
10. The relationship between the Kamilaroi and Ngemba people
11. Life on the river
12. Native plants near Collarenebri
13. Sustaining animal populations
14. Native plants near Lightning Ridge
15. The people of the Narran Lakes (Dharriwaa)
16. The Narran Lakes (Dharriwaa) system
17. How the Little Thigabillas (echidnas) and Mt Oxley were created
18. Quinine and quandongs
19. Kids in the Catchment