'There was one Eora woman who the British officers found very striking, and a little frightening too.' Aunty Matilda House is a Ngambri/Ngunnawal Elder from Canberra. Matilda (Ngambri/Ngunnawal) is part of a series, Naabami (Thou shall/will see): I am/We are Barangaroo, honouring Cammeraygal woman, Barangaroo (c. 1750 – 1791), wife of Wangal man, Woollarawarre Bennelong (c. 1763/4 – 1813). Renowned for her standpoint as a staunch First Nations woman, Barangaroo determined how she would live and die on her peoples’ lands during a time of immense upheaval and overwhelming change for Eora and surrounding clans. Her spirit continues to inspire and inform contemporary First Nations sovereign women.
Brenda L Croft (Gurindji/Malngin/Mudburra peoples) talks with Ngambri/Ngunnawal/Wiradjuri elder, Dr Matilda House, about her photographic portrait.
I have known Dr Aunty Matilda House, Ngambri Elder, Traditional Custodian and Cultural Knowledge Holder, since I was a child.
6 April 2020
Nici Cumpston immerses herself in the collective vision of the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2020.
