The Directions Tree Destruction
The Djab Wurrung ‘Directions Tree’ in Djab Wurrung Country located just off the Western Highway, Victoria, was a 350 year old towering yellow box tree, also referred to as a fiddleback due to the unique way in which the grain of the tree formed.
As many people may be aware from the public outcry of the Australian Indigenous community and allies, on 26 October the Directions Tree was destroyed. The action is surrounded by controversy with this notable tree and other directions trees nominated for removal as part of the Victoria Governments multi-million dollar highway expansion. After a decade-long ongoing dispute and with all public attention towards Victorian lockdown laws being rescinded, the Victorian police dismantled the Djab Wurrung Heritage Protection Embassy to enable the removal of the tree by contractors. In addition to the tree being cut down it has been taken away from the Djab Wurrung people and its whereabouts are unknown. Without the return of the trees remains there is an inability for the Djab Wurrung and First Nations community to mourn this deep loss. The destruction of this tree is comparable to the Rio Tinto destruction of Juukan Gorge and the burning of Notre Dame.
For most people a tree is just a tree, a place that provides shade and shelter, an oxygen producing hunk of wood. However, for many First Nations people some trees are far more meaningful, they are sacred.
As we buy and sell land, build our houses and pretty playgrounds, or in this case highways many of us forget that this land is not our land, despite what deed titles may say it is the land of First Nations people. The ownership far surpasses a piece of paper. Connection to country is essential to life. It is believed that one’s spirit returns to the earth and nourishes their country of origin with wisdom as a gift to future generations. In turn, flora and fauna, riverways and water holes are not just locations but a living embodiment of ancestors belonging to the clan. Similarly to the Grandmother Willow tree in Pocahontas which is depicted as being sentient, ancient and wise, it is also believed that the Directions Trees and other sacred sites across Australia have the power to give spiritual guidance. These sacred trees are not just trees and their loss is akin to a loss of family, deeply felt by all who are connected with the land.
For the Djab Wurrung people, The Directions tree was widely regarded as a sacred tree. Its creation is believed to stem from the burial of a child’s placenta with the seed many centuries ago. There had been branches actively shaped and directed over time by hundreds of years of First Nations culture and ceremonial practice.
The tree was a part of Djab Wurrung country where women traditionally went to give birth, and men were forbidden. There once was a time where each child had their own tree. These trees are a part of a significant Djab Wurrung songline and are a representation of interconnectedness with nature, the strength, depth, beauty and longevity of First Nations Peoples Culture.
The Birthing tree, otherwise known as “The Grandmother Tree” is over 800 years old with a gaping hollow and was the place of birth for thousands of babies over generations. Grandmother trees come in pairs with the grandfather tree being a 700 year old eucalypt standing right next to her and the trees leaning towards each other. It is said that their roots entwine underground. However, like a Shakespearean love story the grandfather tree is also scheduled to be cut down, taking with it a chapter of the Djab Wurrung songline.
Songlines tell a story, of the people, their culture and of the Dreaming. Through removing part of this songline part of the story is also being removed. It is tearing out a page of First Nations history. With so much of First Nations culture being removed, lost and forgotten it is essential to retain as much existing culture as possible and pay respect to Traditional Custodians. While we cannot take back the actions of the past, we can continue to preserve and celebrate First Nations culture for the future.
At Yarn in partnership with Indigenous Artists we aim to continue telling and celebrating the stories of First Nations people. Our merchandise contains authentic Indigenous Artwork that represents the songlines and stories of Indigenous people and culture. Through this art we continue to share in the history of the world’s oldest living culture.
Acknowledgement
We at Yarn, acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land and sea. We pay our respect to all Elders, past, present and emerging.
