On the inaugural Yannaga Yoowaga Walk on Country tour, Warren Foster gave example after example that demonstrated First Nations' deep connection to the land and his extensive knowledge of Yuin culture.
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He grew up in the Aboriginal reserve at Wallaga Lake where he learnt culture from his parents, aunts, uncles and prominent elders Uncle Percy and Guboo Ted Thomas.
"They were always instilling culture and keeping it strong," Mr Foster said.
"They must have seen something in me and kept pumping it into me."
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Shared DNA
Through his cultural tours, Mr Foster hopes to spread understanding about First Nations people's connection with land.
"For thousands of years we gave birth on the land and everything - umbilical cord, placenta - went back into the land and for thousands of years the women's monthly cycles went back into the land.
"So for thousands of years our DNA is in the land and always will be just like the land's DNA is in us because everything comes from the land, from Mother Earth, and we get rebirthed back into the land," Mr Foster said.
Universal creation stories
The Yuin people's mother mountain Gulaga holds many of their creation stories but Gulaga is also part of the Seven Sisters, a Dreamtime story that is universal around Australia.
Mr Foster was blown away when a Canadian First Nations' person told him about their Seven Brothers story.
"We were both spinning out at those stories and they had a rock that is said to have originated from Australia when the big continental masses broke up."
He spoke about another big mountain, Gulaga's daughter, that took her journey back to the Dreamtime probably before the Ice Age.
"We told National Parks and then they discovered an extinct volcano under the sea a few years ago but we always knew it was there."
Protecting Mother Earth
In one creation story, the creator gave the first humans two gifts - a rock and a tree - to live off.
"Most all what we have today comes from the stone and trees.
"Even cars you get everything from earth - the metals and the plastics from the rubber tree.
"So it is important to protect the earth and keep those resources," Mr Foster said.
The walk was part of the Connection to Country program of free First Nations experiences that was organised by Southbound Escapes through a grant from the NSW government and Eurobodalla Shire Council.
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