Brisbane Branch August meeting

Our next meeting will be hosted by the Brisbane branch on Sunday 17^th August 2025 from 1—2 pm AEST.

All are welcome to attend in person at Bulimba Community Centre, 1 Barramul St, Bulimba, Brisbane. Free for members, $5 for non-members. ANBA members can attend by Zoom, a link to join will be sent by email a few days prior to the event.

Coen Hird, from The University of Queensland will present on the topic:

Some reflections on Aboriginal connections to sugarbag

Abstract:

Native bees of the lands now called Australia, including sugarbag (e.g. stingless bees such as Tetragonula and Austroplebeia spp.) hold significance in Aboriginal knowledge systems that have developed alongside bees for millennia. This presentation brings forward some of the philosophical and material dimensions of sugarbag from Aboriginal worldviews and cultures. Drawing on oral knowledges and written records, we can discuss relational and kincentric philosophies of sugarbag, and how Aboriginal knowledge systems offer ways of seeing and engaging with the natural world that can differ in important ways from dominant frameworks.

Biography:

Coen is a trawlwoolway pakana (Hearps, Briggs families) accountable to the Tasmanian Aboriginal community and also to communities in Queensland. Coen is a Lecturer at the University of Queensland and has broad experience in molecular, physiological, ecological, and evolutionary biology, and has published academic works across disciplines. Coen has interests in elevating and centering Indigenous knowledges, priorities, and rights in research, emphasising respectful engagement with Indigenous communities.

Displays and stories of relevance from attendees

We invite attendees to bring along any items relevant to native bees and indigenous use, craft, folklore, etc? You are welcome to put physical objects on display on a table to generate interest. Feel free to describe them, or tell stories, or ask what Coen and others might know.