A lot has changed in the last six weeks. I am looking out the window of my studio apartment at the pink and gold streaks of sunrise over nipaluna / Hobart, where the transformation to the solarpunk life of my dreams is well and truly underway. This island is possibly the most solarpunk place on the planet!
“How on earth did you do that?” asks a fellow nomadic friend, when I casually mention that I have moved to Tasmania. There are so many threads to unpick, and they will be unravelled but first; arriving, grounding and mapping myself into this new place. Finding context, connection and creative collaboration in establishing the three pillars of my newly enhanced solarpunk life: knitting, queer choir and the Tarkine forest. I’m still shimmering with joy in the Kinsey Scales choir singing “Closer to Fine”, thrilled to be joining an art camp in takayna with the Bob Brown Foundation in April, and having the pleasure of returning to my knitting group every week and developing those threads of connection.
lutruwita
We acknowledge, with deep respect, the Muwinina people as the traditional custodians of nipaluna (Hobart), whose culture and identity have been intertwined with this land and sea for millennia. They knew this place and cared for their land, their sea and their waterways.
Their songlines trace back tens of thousands of years, and their music and culture flow through the beautiful forests, beaches, rivers and the mountain streams of this island.
As a direct result of colonisation, invasion and war, there are no Muwinina people left alive today. In their absence we acknowledge Tasmanian Aboriginal people, the palawa people, as the ongoing custodians of this land. Today’s palawa people walk where they walked.
Palawa people are the survivors, continuing the culture and stories of their old people and striving for rights and recognition. We acknowledge their incredible determination and resilience. We deeply respect and acknowledge that theirs is the oldest continuous living culture in history.
We acknowledge the impacts of colonisation, and we stand for truth and recognition of the devastating consequences of invasion on the palawa people of lutrawita/Tasmania and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities. We pay respect to Elders past and present and emerging, who are working in continued cultural and spiritual connections to Country.
We acknowledge sovereignty was never ceded.
Credit: text edited from Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, City of Hobart, the Stranded Wailers and Bob Brown Foundation.
This is an extraordinary place of intense beauty, wildness and possibilities, syncopated by the ever present undercurrents of colonial violence and resource extractive industries that deeply divide these communities. I felt the historical imprint of that incredibly harsh penal colony as we drove through the landscape from north to south, and there is a sense of unease that still permeates this energetic field.
However there is also great respect, awe and wonder to be found in moments of joy and connection, both with the land, water and people who appreciate and strive to protect the remaining wilderness. These are the ones I am paying attention to, picking up threads in the human and interwoven tapestry of rekindling spirit and reawakening to the beauty and potential for inspiration and genuine community.
Reflecting on how you find a sense of belonging, connect with your “tribe” and make meaningful contribution to the land and people you are with. I am excited to report that in the last week I have joined the deadloch (inspired) choir, found my knitting ladies and signed up for art camp in takayna / Tarkine.
Seriously, that is three for three of the life dreams I had coming here, which is an incredibly fast response to the ongoing work of aligning with purpose and taking action every day to move the dial forward. I am hugely thankful to Molly and all the people who have helped create a gentle and safe landing space here.