In the midst of the pandemic, Tia Whyman was too scared to leave her Melbourne home.
COVID cases were raging in the city and she had just escaped an abusive relationship.
Looking for a creative outlet, the Paakantji woman took a chance on an online basket weaving class.
Little did she know, the craft would become her lifeline.
"An Aboriginal woman from the same country as me was teaching the class, and I guess I was curious," she said.
"I just learned the basics … and found it really therapeutic."
Day by day, Whyman, a health administration worker, wove the delicate and colourful strands of raffia into baskets, placemats and bags.
"It gave me a way to express myself and get out my nervous energy. It kept my hands busy. Weaving became incredibly healing for me," she said.
Weaving to heal
For Whyman, basket weaving is a chance to connect with her Indigenous culture and hone a craft that's been practised for generations.
"I use a traditional Aboriginal technique from south-east Australia … it's a technique my ancestors would have used," she said.
It's also become part of Whyman's healing process as a survivor of domestic violence.
Looking for a change of pace from the city, the 33-year-old moved to Longreach in outback Queensland earlier this year.
She was still experiencing the lingering trauma of domestic violence.
"I had moved house and changed my number, but that still didn't make me feel safe," Whyman said.
As part of her healing, Whyman posted images of her weaved creations to social media, which sparked conversations about domestic violence with other survivors around the country.
"I wanted to make myself talk about things … but I also wanted to make other people feel comfortable to talk about what happened to them," she said.
"Me feeling scared to talk was less scary than the fear of somebody else going through the same thing and not getting the support they needed."
Two years on from that initial online class, Whyman now runs basket weaving workshops for local women and tourists across the outback.
"I thought it would just be people that I knew, but there's been people I don't know that show up," she said.
"I feel honoured that I get to share this with people that are wanting to learn."
Living in outback Queensland, a 12-hour drive from Brisbane, has also helped Whyman's recovery.
"I'm not sitting in traffic for an hour to get to work and an hour to get back home," she said.
"Being here gives me time to think about things and process things."
A way to connect
Isabelle Andrew from the Regional Arts Services Network says Indigenous basket weaving techniques are growing in popularity.
"Workshops are a way for people to connect with culture and local artists," the Nyikina woman said.
"For [First Nations people] it can sometimes be hard to connect with your mob, so something like basket weaving is a form of decolonisation.
"It's creating cultural pride that we were never able to have at one point."
Since speaking publicly about her experience with domestic violence, Whyman says other survivors have reached out.
"They often say arts and crafts activities are helping them heal too," she said.
"So maybe it doesn't matter how I found weaving, because it connects me with people and my culture.
"I keep telling myself, 'Really shitty things can happen to you, but you can still have a beautiful life after that.'"
