Sharing Aboriginal yarns goes beyond storytelling — it's about healing

Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the name and image of a person who has died, used with the permission of their family.

I'm a proud Palawa and Wiradjuri man and storytelling is in my blood. My mob has been doing it for 80,000-plus years through visual art, dance and song.

Our stories capture the history of our people, our country, and our dreaming dating back generations.

I'm fortunate to continue this tradition by amplifying the voices of Aboriginal mob through modern-day media — most recently with Barkindji man Jareece Johnson.

My people's songlines are tens of thousand of years old 

At the beginning of my career, I felt that there wasn't a place for my culture in white media. I began working at 3KND, Melbourne's only Aboriginal radio station. It showed me what is a culturally safe environment.

Today as an ABC producer and presenter, I'm honoured to be amplifying the voices of Indigenous people and ensuring our mobs' issues are given the same visibility and publicity as everyone else.

There's a lot of pressure when representing your culture so publicly; you need to be across cultural politics and understand how colonisation and events such as the Stolen Generation create barriers when accessing information.

The knowledge blackfellas are sharing is the same knowledge our ancestors were kidnapped and murdered over. Speaking up about this is intimidating and overwhelmingly emotional.

Jareece's story

While working in Mildura recently, I had the privilege of producing a story about deadly Barkindji man, Jareece Johnson.

My team was running a youth storytelling workshop at Jareece's high school. And like many Indigenous folk, Jareece was hesitant to share his story. He was extremely reserved and took an hour and a half for him to feel comfortable opening up.

It was even harder for Jareece's grandmother, Aunty Colleen, to talk about her story. It took years before her mother May allowed her to share their Indigenous history with anyone outside of the family.

After yarning with Aunty Colleen she agreed for their story to be shared.

The power of telling your story

Helping someone tell their story can be nerve-racking. If it's a negative experience, you need to take accountability while dealing with the guilt of adding to their trauma.

But as we chipped away at producing Jareece's family story, I grew closer to his mob.

Jareece's family was able to continue healing intergenerational trauma by having their voices amplified.

The videographer, Marc, and I were the first people the Johnson family had taken out on country, sacred Barkindji country.

The trip wasn't just about telling their story.

It was about them healing and being able to open up about their history. It was about non-Aboriginal people being able to connect and learn from mob. It was about me being able to continue reconnecting with my ancestors through my work.

Jareece's story was played in a packed cinema at a red-carpet gala screening in Mildura.

This amazing young man went from barely being able to speak to giving an inspiring speech to his community, politicians and, most importantly, his family.

At the end of the event, Jareece, Aunty Colleen and I reflected on the whole process.

Jareece had this to say: "Thank you for allowing me to share my culture, you've changed my family forever. I am proud to be part of the longest living culture on earth."