Through Our Eyes

The Through Our Eyes project is made up of 7 quilts, made by members of the Aboriginal Elders Council.

The quilts express vivid mental images from three Tasmanian Aboriginal Elders, Dorothy Murray, Gloria Templar and Nola Hooper, who with the help of Suzanne MacDonald a well known quilter and textile artist the seven quilts. Each quilt tells a storey of the Elders memories of their, communal and cultural relationship and birth place Cape Barren Island. These stories reveal the images as recalled by Dorothy, Gloria and Nola, reflecting their Aboriginal heritage as a part of growing up on the island.

Quilt images: The Fires, Cultural Food, Shell Gathering, Island Music, Mutton Birding, My Family and Cenotaph - all form a story of our community and culture.

Dorothy Murray speaking at the opening of the quilt show

Island Music DVD

The making of this DVD tells the story of four young Tasmanian Aboriginals who embark on a journey to discover their place in their community and family connections.

This part of the project is seen by the Elders as a fundamental process of strengthening the cultural expression, development of skills of both a cultural and technical nature of our youth as well as maintaining broader understandings of Tasmanian Aboriginal Cultural and community for future generations.

The Cape Barren Hall was built for the people of the island to use for dancing, singing and socialising and it was well used.

As youngsters we learned to dance to Cape Barren Island musicians playing musical bobs, dancing waltzes, Shotties, Barn-dances, sets 2, St Albies and Pride of Erin. Dances were held regularly and more often at Christmas time. The ladies loved to dress up in their finery and try to outdo each other.

Music was performed with fiddles, guitars, ukulele, squeezebox, banjo and spoons, and great music it was was too.

Many a good time was had in this hall and many a romance started as well.