Often told she's 'too white to be Aboriginal', Amy struggles to connect with culture and she's not alone
Amy Daniel grew up with constant questions about her heritage and culture, something she still faces today.
“A lot of people ask me and say, ‘You’re too white to be Aboriginal. You’re too beautiful to be Aboriginal. You don’t talk like Aboriginal people’,” she said.
He says at first it angered him and made him question himself, but now he is using it to educate others.
“I took the opportunity to teach people that no matter how much milk you put in a cup of tea, you are still a bit black on the inside.”
This 23-year-old Nukunu woman first found out she was a Native when she was in high school.
He was born and raised in Queanbeyan but his descendants are from the country of Nukunu, near Port Augusta in South Australia.
Ms Daniel recently started to connect more deeply with her culture after moving to Wagga Wagga, in southern New South Wales.
“I paint a lot so I found a bit of connection there and enjoyed learning more about my culture,” he said.
“Then I moved here [Wagga Wagga]. I met some of our friends and they taught me more about the importance of being in the country.
“They helped me find my way and helped me find my story.”
Long journey
Ms Daniel has always felt a connection to her Indigenous roots.
“When I do things in the countryside, when I paint, when I make jewelry and weave, I am very calm and peaceful,” she said.
“My mom always said when I was growing up [that] I am the most impatient person.
“But he was amazed that I could sit for six hours straight and do 1,000 dots on a piece of paper without moving.”
But Ms Daniel said connecting with her culture had its challenges, such as being questioned because of the color of her skin.
He said it was also difficult to connect with the culture, as he did not grow up in the Nukunu country and was not exposed to it from a young age.
“Now I wish I would have seen more stories or read more about young white women or men, and read about their journey to discover their culture,” she said.
“Maybe even do it with someone and know that you’re not really alone.”
Reconnecting to ‘vital’ culture
Ms Daniel is not alone in her journey to connect with culture.
The Aboriginal company Coota Girls has helped the descendants of Stolen Generation survivors reconnect to their culture.
She has managed a project, called Nurture Our Youth, to address the intergenerational trauma caused by the forced displacement and institutionalization of family members.
Wailwan and Gamilaroi woman Grandma Meagan Gerrard have been at the Cootamundra Domestic Training Home for Aboriginal Girls, in southern NSW, for nearly 15 years.
Gerrard said practicing the culture was forbidden in the home, which had an impact on generations to come.
“So much was taken from us – we lost language, we lost touch with culture,” he said.
“The journey back to reconnecting with important things as Aboriginal people, it’s been a tough journey.”
Ms Gerrard said the project would allow descendants to take part in cultural encounters, which involve activities such as weaving, bush-eating and floss.
“To support them to reconnect with the culture, to learn the language, and to come together as a community,” he said.
“Embracing it would be a very powerful thing for them to experience.”
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