Aboriginal Way

Legendary Wiradjuri tracker Alec Riley was the first Indigenous police sergeant on the New South Wales Police Force, where he served for 40 years from 1911.

In parallel to that now, many years later, his Great-Great nephew Daniel Riley has been named the first Indigenous director of an Australian dance company, in his new role as Artistic Director of Australian Dance Theatre.

In one of his first works in this role, Tracker, Daniel explores the path his Great-Great Uncle forged between the enforced colonial system of the time and his own Wiradjuri lore.

This remarkable and deeply personal story is brought to life on stage by a team of talented First Nations creatives using different pillars of storytelling such as ceremony, music, theatre, and contemporary dance, inviting audiences to engage with the work, not simply observe it.

After sold-out seasons in both Sydney and Perth, Tracker will be performed across eight days as part of the Adelaide Festival from 10-18 March at The Odeon Theatre in Norwood. It will return to South Australia in October and November, touring across the state with the support of Country Arts SA.

“It is almost impossible to leave Tracker without feeling deeply moved.” The Saturday Paper

Australian Dance Theatre offers First Nations community members the opportunity to attend dress rehearsals and preview performances for free. Find out more at Australian Dance Theatre (adt.org.au).

Book tickets to see Tracker at the Adelaide Festival here - Tracker - Adelaide Festival

On the 10th of February 2023, the Wirangu and Nauo peoples celebrated the Federal Court’s recognition of their shared native title rights and interests on the western Eyre Peninsula.

Dr Jared Thomas, a Nukunu man from the Southern Flinders Ranges is a Research Fellow for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Material Culture and Arts at the South Australian Museum and UniSA. He is also a curator, arts administrator, international award-winning author and all-around change maker.

Dr Thomas received a Churchill Fellowship in 2019 for his subject matter “investigating colonised people’s interpretive strategies in permanent gallery displays in Aotearoa, Norway, Finland, Canada and the US”, and he recently returned from eight weeks traveling to these countries.

Aboriginal Way sat down with him recently to chat about his experiences…

On the 8th December 2022, a native title claim first made by the Wirangu people more than 25 years ago on the 28th August 1997, was partially finalised with a consent determination at Streaky Bay on the Eyre Peninsula.

The Federal Court’s handing down of the consent determination was a historic day, recognising the Wirangu people as the Traditional Owners of their Country from Acraman Creek in the North to Port Kenny in the South and inland to the Flinders Highway.

SA Native Title Services would like to congratulate the named applicants Caroline Wilson, Cindy Morrison, Barry Dean (Jack) Johncock, Elizabeth Pool, Neville Miller, and Kenneth Wilson, who have fought hard on behalf of Wirangu people to reach their consent determination.

We pay our respects to applicants who passed away before they could be recognised.

In this episode of Aboriginal Way you will hear recordings from the Federal Court's official proceedings on the day* and hear interviews with key people involved.

*These recordings are used with permission from the Federal Court

A draft bill proposing a model for the First Nations Voice to South Australia’s Parliament has been released, following a statewide engagement process with First Nations people, leaders and communities from August to October this year. If this legislation gets up, it will be the first state-based Voice to Parliament in the country.

Aboriginal Way spoke with South Australia’s Commissioner for First Nations Voice, Dale Agius, who has commenced his second tour of engagement around the state, about how it will work.

Are you a First Nations business or entrepreneur? Then don't miss this week's episode of Aboriginal Way with Kelly May, Operations Manager of The Circle.

The Circle was set up as a partnership between the South Australian and Australian governments with funding from the National Indigenous Australians Agency, based at Lot Fourteen.

"We've been established as a conduit between First Nations businesses... to really help their businesses grow and thrive and also to connect to with industry and government for new market opportunities," Kelly May says.

"The support is really built on us developing a really strong relationship with businesses owners and entrepreneurs and really determining the type of support that they require."

The Circle has almost 150 members, and offers free membership to businesses that are at least 50% First Nations-owned. Find out more at www.thecircle.sa.gov.au

Purrumpa is set to be the largest national gathering of First Nations arts and culture convened by the Australia Council in 50 years.

To be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Kaurna Land from Monday, 31st October to Friday, 4th November, its aim is to host considered conversations about First Nations arts and cultures, across a range of industries; to strengthen and grow the sector into the next 50 years, as well as celebrate the incredible achievements of the past 50 years.

Unceded Seeded or Ngampa, which means yam daisy (a perennial root vegetable that is a staple food source for Kaurna) in Kaurna language, is a new artwork that will be on public display semi-permanently for the next few years outside Guildhouse, in Adelaide’s CBD. The neon sign was designed by South Australian First Nations visual artist Brad Darkson, in consultation with senior Kaurna woman Aunty Lynette Crocker.

“Unceded Seeded (Ngampa) references the land on which the artwork is installed. It acknowledges the Kaurna culture that has always existed within the land, and it highlights the need for everyone to walk together and work together in healing Country. This is not just a job for First Nations people, and everyone that resides on Kaurna land can celebrate and partake in practicing Kaurna culture. Everyone can feel a sense of custodianship for, and kinship with, the land.” – Brad Darkson.

The Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, met with Aboriginal Way to answer important questions about an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

The Voice would be a body enshrined in the constitution that enables Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to provide advice to the parliament on policies and projects that impact their lives.

Representing all First Nations in the Voice will be a challenge, however, the Labor party will be ‘talking to people across the country about how that's best done’, before the public decides at a referendum.

Find out more about a Voice to Parliament here