Buninyong Primary School visited Mount Elephant to learn about indigenous communities, volcanoes, life cycles, european arrival and reconciliation. A musical play will be developed based on the Mount Elephant and Mount Buninyong dreamtime story.
During September 2008 Mount Elephant hosted a visit by100 students, parents, and staff from Buninyong Primary School with Barry Peters singer songwriter and Paul Wright indigenous dancer and musician last Friday.
The students came to learn about:
1. Before the volcano - Focus on indigenous community and local flora and fauna
2. The eruption – focus on the events of the creation and science of the landforms of the district
3. The life cycle – focus on life cycle, revegetation and human habitation
4. European Arrival – focus on gold, agriculture and “Civilization”
5. Reconciliation – Focus on the relationships between humans and the rest of the earth and relationships between different races of people.
Representatives from the Mount Elephant committee, Lismore Land Protection Group, Derrinallum College, Kanawinka Geo with Barry Peters and Paul Wright talked to the students in groups describing the various stories and learning about the dreamtime story of how Mount Buninyong and Mount Elephant fought when they were erupting.
The students were divided into boy and girl totem groups called eagle/hawk, emu, crow, and kangaroo. After these talks and discovering the mountain, they walked down to the car park area and played aboriginal games of spear throwing, possum football and face painting. They were then treated to a performance by Paul of didgeridoo playing and aboriginal dance. The children joined in with their clapping sticks that they had made themselves at Mount Buninyong last week.
This was a fun day with perfect weather, and out of this day a musical play will be developed based on the Mount Elephant and Mount Buninyong dreamtime story. Barry Peters will work with the children to develop the play and write songs. The play will be performed at Buninyong Primary School on the 1st December.