Why Bats are Black

The traditional story from the Wurundjeri people, the Traditional Owners of the Melbourne district of Australia, of how Bats came to be black.

Illustrations and recordings by:
Tamika Ruud-gee, Djuran Lovett, Kaisa Ruud-gee, Frankie Willcox, Caitlin Young Atkinson, Lelly Cooper.

In December 2014, KIWA™ in conjunction with The Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages, brought the 48HR SLAM to Thornburry School, in Melbourne Australia.

Under the guidance of Mandy Nicholson, Phil Cooper, Matthew Donaldson, Stacey Anderson and Ryan McNeill, six students undertook an intensive two days of Digital Storytelling, with the purpose of helping revitalise the Woiwurrung language of the Wurundjeri people. This culminated in the digital story being told through striking artwork and narrated in the students’ own voices.

The Kiwa team then took this amazing work and assembled it in the form of the Experiential Digital Book that is in front of you. Swipe through and immerse yourself in the story, and tap on the pictures to explore hidden elements.

Features include:

• Swipe-to-Read™ the words to hear and playback the story at your own pace. 

• Auto Play to enjoy the narration. 

• Use the My Narration function to read and record the story yourself and customise your book. 

• Touch the pictures to hear different sound effects. 

• See special animation effects bringing the picture to life.

• Use the Colour Palette to paint each page! 



Languages:
English
Woiwurrung