Twilight Blak Markets at NCIE were a celebration and showcase of Indigenous businesses from across Australia in the heart of Redfern.
More than a thousand people came to taste and buy bushfoods, check out Indigenous plants, fashion, body products and jewellery, and to soak up the atmosphere, cultural performances and music.
With so many different stalls, products and experiences Twilight Blak Markets showcased the depth and breadth of our cultures in so many deadly ways.
Uraah Innovations & Cultural Services stall
The 18 stalls curated and organised by First Hand Solutions included:
Jewellery & Fashion
Sterling silver semi-precious stone jewellery was for sale at Sonia Pallett’s stall; CQ Aboriginal Jewellery had handmade jewellery made from native seeds and gumnuts.
Fitzroy River Women’s Collective brought in bush-dyed scarves and other fashion items all the way from the Fitzroy Valley in WA.
Nungala Creative presented their range of deadly pins, earrings, t-shirts and stickers designed by Warumungu / Wombaya woman Jessica Johnson.
CQ Aboriginal Jewellery
Art & Artefacts
Yuin, Gadigal and Wiradjuri artist Nadeena Dixon had textiles and weaving for sale.
Saretta Art & Design, based in Toronto NSW sold a range of cushion covers and other textiles.
Milan Dhiiyaan sold and demonstrated carved emu eggs, kangaroo skins, clapping sticks and other artefacts.
Milan Dhiiyaan
Skin Care
Uraah Innovations & Cultural Services and Mandanga Enterprises sold natural soaps and skin care products.
A variety of different bush medicine and skin products from Central Australia were on sale from the Bush Balm team- the social enterprise run by The Purple House.
Food & Plants
First Hand Solutions’ own enterprise Indigigrow sold a range of native plants such as Saltbush, Native Mint and Lemon Myrtle.
Kungkas Can Cook from the Central Desert and Eumundi based Dilly Bag sold organic bush food and spices.
Bindam Mie came from the West Kimberley, WA, selling Boab Iced Tea and The Unexpected Guest had a range of organic granola and muesli bars.
Hot food included crocodile spring rolls, rice paper rolls and chicken and falafel laffas from the NCIE Hospitality team, washed down with delicious Quandong and Rivermint slushies.
Chicken and Falafel Laffas from NCIE Hospitality
Song, Dance, and Cooking Demonstrations
Indigenous Chefs Aunty Beryl and Dale Chapman taught the crowd their recipes for BBQ Kangaroo and sautéed Bunya Nuts while talking through the significance of the ingredients for their people.
Aunty Beryl Van Oploo and Dale Chapman (Dilly Bag) giving a cooking demo with kangaroo and bunya nuts
Lucky market-goers got to sample the dishes while Johnny Nicol topped the night off with some cool toe-tapping jazz form his 50+year musical career.
The markets were enriched by a cultural performance Uncle Graham King, and soul-stirring dance from Jannawi Dance Clan. Jannawi were fresh from the previous weekend’s Dance Rites at the Sydney Opera House, and put on an incredible display of dance and culture for the huge enthusiastic crowd.
Abigail Delaney performing with the Jannawi Dance Clan
Thanks to everyone who turned up, watched the performances and supported Indigenous businesses!
Huge thanks also to Blak Markets for their partnership in this event, and also to City of Sydney for supporting the evening.
Take a look at more photos from Twilight Blak Markets on our Facebook page.