Look Before you Eat - Article from Reconciliation Australia News Oct 21

Rayleen Brown, a Ngangiwumirr and Eastern Arrernte woman and founder of Kungkas Can Cook, Alice Springs’ famous catering business and cafe, is a veteran of the industry, and also feels this pressure. “There are layers of issues in this industry that haunt me. I came from a very sorry background, and I want to be successful in my business. I want a secure future for my family,” she says. “But I have this heavy burden on my shoulders which is we need to get things right in this industry first. I’ve had lots of opportunities to partner with people but I’ve said no, because it doesn’t feel right.” Kungkas Can Cook is renowned for only using local First Nations women to supply their wild harvested bushfoods, continuing an ancient tradition of women caring for their communities. “Where I’m from in the Central Desert, there’s been a continuous sharing of knowledge down through the generations,” she says. “Culturally women are the gatherers and foragers in this region, whereas men are the hunters. Ultimately it was the women who sustained their communities, because eventually animals and game moved on. You would be relying on grains, tubers and small lizards to survive.” “A lot of these stories are really strongly connected to these women to this day. Each seed and fruit is enriched with a song and story that connects them back to their Country and their people.” Rayleen believes that it’s this community-first approach that has allowed her to be successful. “The reason we’ve achieved what we have is because we’ve always been ethical in what we do. We’ve always brought our communities along with us by building that knowledge,” she says. But she also acknowledges that as the industry grows, potential for exploitation grows too. “There is a lot of interest in the industry because it’s starting to generate money, but only a small percentage of Indigenous people are benefitting from all this growth.” “We can take every opportunity as they come, but we also need to respect that story and connection to Country that these women have carried for many thousands of years.” “It’s such a beautiful part of the whole story, so it would be such a pity if it wasn’t a significant part of this industry.”