ANU Bandalang Studio

A Bininj man, Ben lives beside the Jim Jim Creek with his family at Murdudjurl, a remote Indigenous community on his Mother’s Land, Murumburr Country in central Kakadu National Park, which is part of Western Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, Australia. Ben is the owner and founder of Kakadu Kitchen, which is a 100% Indigenous-owned bush food business established in 2017, that is founded on a vision to celebrate and respectfully share the rich Bininj tradition and culture of bush tucker to help people and planet connect, heal and flourish. Through this work Ben aims to educate people about the ethical sourcing of Indigenous native botanicals through the concepts of Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property (ICIP) and Cultural Licensing, and to bring quality, nutrient-rich food to his Kakadu families, and other Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory. Kakadu Kitchen is guided by the principles of culture, health and nature to help make nutrient-dense Indigenous superfoods more accessible to all people, while empowering remote Indigenous communities with shared collective cultural rights to the supernatural bush ingredients. There’s a deep generosity in Ben’s problem-solving approach- he’s thinking long term- Kakadu in the year 3000, and how to start doing the work now that might see his Country and people thriving a thousand years from now. Ben’s dream? To practice Bininj philosophy: Healthy Country, Healthy People; Healthy People, Healthy Country, so that Bininj culture lives: endures, thrives, and nourishes. Bandalang Studio is an Indigenous Engineering Design Studio at the ANU. Our work supports Indigenous practitioners, researchers and students in projects which challenge the status quo in western engineering and technology. This podcast shares the stories and perspectives of the people who make up the Bandalang Studio community.

Dr Elizabeth Marrkilyi Ellis is a senior Ngaanyatjarra lore woman, artist, writer, educator, researcher and linguist from the Ngaanyatjarra Lands of the Gibson desert in WA. Elizabeth has committed her life to supporting and facilitating communication between her Ngaanyatjarra people, who were the last uncontacted Indigenous tribe by Western culture in Australia, and the non-Indigenous people in our Australian community. In her work, Elizabeth navigates extreme cultural divides and differences, and in doing so brings people together from vastly different world views to a place of understanding. This work has been recognised by the Australian National University in the form of an honorary doctorate, which Elizabeth received in 2019 after 3 years of research and consultancy investigating Western Desert speech styles and verbal art. Elizabeth was awarded Australian Research Council grant called Discovery Indigenous Fellowship for this work. Bandalang Studio is an Indigenous Engineering Design Studio at the ANU. Our work supports Indigenous practitioners, researchers and students in projects which challenge the status quo in western engineering and technology. This podcast shares the stories and perspectives of the people who make up the Bandalang Studio community.

kate harriden is a Wiradjuri water person and scientist. Her work is country-centred, and focussed on decolonising current western water management approaches, particularly in terms of streams. She completed her PhD in Indigenous water sciences at the Fenner School of Environment & Sustainability at the Australian National University (ANU). Bandalang Studio is an Indigenous Engineering Design Studio at the ANU. Our work supports Indigenous practitioners, researchers and students in projects which challenge the status quo in western engineering and technology. This podcast shares the stories and perspectives of the people who make up the Bandalang Studio community.