UNCLE NOEL BUTLER & CHRIS HARRIS
Uncle Noel Butler
Chris Harris - Black Duck Foods
Giiyong Festival is pleased to welcome Black Duck Foods to the program this year, with Uncle Noel Butler and Chris Harris delivering a presentation about native plants and grains.
Uncle Noel Butler will also be part of a panel conversation about food sovereignty and bush regeneration.
Uncle Noel Butler is a conservationist, educator, sustainability advocate and a Budawang Elder of the Yuin Nation on the South Coast of NSW. He has been working as a cultural educator for over 35 years, leading walks on Country, holding cultural camps, and sharing his knowledge of Budawang people’s history, lore and stories.
His knowledge of the plants that have sustained, healed and helped the Yuin people for tens of thousands of years, has been passed down from his Elders, to help enable a sustainable lifestyle - even in a world that is now more foreign than the world of his forefathers. Noel is a regular speaker in Australia and overseas, including at the 2016 World Indigenous Conference on sustainability.
Words from Chris Harris:
'Yamakara (hello)
My name is Chris Harris I'm a ngiyampaa yitha yitha man.
Growing up I spent a lot of time on Ngiyampaa country with my father and grandfather learning about our foods and culture and getting an understanding of how our ancestors lived.
I've been on a journey with Black Duck Foods for almost three years now, I love my role at Black Duck Foods, we are constantly learning and practising our food sovereignty. It's something I'm very passionate about.
Yata wittya (best wishes)'