Aboriginal Way

Nauo Fest – a celebration of Nauo community, culture and native title – was held at Coffin Bay on Saturday, 15 November 2025. Nauo people and the wider community danced the night away during incredible performances from Electric Fields, the Warren Milera Band and Tony Minnecon, with Elaine Crombie MC.

Proudly presented by Nauo Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC and supported by SA Native Title Services and Open Eyre Events, this free festival was an opportunity to celebrate the Nauo people’s 28-year fight for native title recognition on the Lower Eyre Peninsula. 

Listen to Aboriginal Way’s latest podcast episode straight from the festival to find out more about Nauo's journey to reach native title acknowledgement and the future of Nauo Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC.

On Friday 24 October, First Nations of the South East (FNSE) and Ngarrindjeri peoples came together at 42 Mile Crossing in Coorong National Park - where the Federal Court of Australia formally recognised both groups as native title holders over a shared area in South Australia’s south-east.
This important determination covers land from the southern tip of the Coorong National Park, stretching east towards Gum Lagoon Conservation Park, and includes the culturally significant site of Sandy’s Hut, a place deeply connected to generations of families and Ancestors.
Both groups paid tribute to Elders past, whose resilience and leadership made this recognition possible - a testament to their enduring connection to Country, culture, and community.AW spoke with three members of First Nations of South East - Aunty Penny Bonney, Cheryl Saunders and Andrew Birtwhistle-Smith following the consent determination.

On Tuesday 21 October, the Kaurna community came together (along with friends and allies), for the fourth and final reburial ceremony of their Ancestors at Wangayarta.

The southern mound, one of four reburial mounds at Wangayarta, was created for the reburial of Kaurna Ancestors disturbed from southern areas of Kaurna Country over the last century.

Wangayarta is a memorial/reburial park designed by the Kaurna community in 2019-2020 as a pilot repatriation project here in South Australia. Led by the Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation, the park was created to re-inter disturbed Ancestors held for decades at the South Australian Museum and the Adelaide University.

Emotional ceremonies have already been held at Wangayarta for Kaurna Ancestors from the northern, western and eastern parts of Kaurna Country since December 2021.

In this episode you’ll hear from:

- Allan Sumner, Kaurna and Ngarrindjeri Traditional Owner and MC of the ceremony

- Major Moogy Sumner, Kaurna and Ngarrindjeri Elder

- Anna Russo, Aboriginal Heritage and Repatriation Manager at the South Australian Museum

- Allan Sumner speaking at the event, used with permission.

“Sick to my stomach. There have been far too many situations where this has happened and our feelings, our connections and our thoughts have never been considered.”

Chair of the Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation, Mitzi Nam, speaks out over the planned redevelopment of the North Adelaide Golf Course at Pirtawardli (meaning "brush tail possum home") to host the high-profile LIV Golf tournament in 2028.

She shares the deep cultural and spiritual significance of the site, the pain of feeling excluded from formal consultation, and the urgent need for culturally respectful conversations to protect sacred places.

"We know development needs to happen, but when it comes to something that's just going to benefit a certain section of people, it's not for the wider community.

It’s all about the money, but you can’t put a dollar value on protecting our cultural heritage for future generations.”

If you’ve ever wanted to find out more about native title – or even more about virtual reality – this episode is for you!

Step onto Country as Traditional Owners tell you stories andguide you through their land and waters, all from within the foyer of the South Australian Museum.

That’s the premise of Country, Culture, People, a newnative title display and VR experience by South Australian Native Title Services, looking back over more than 30 years of native title history here in South Australia.

Visitors can explore key moments that have shaped nativetitle here, from the Native Title Act passing in 1993, to the first determination at De Rose Hill in 2005 and the landmark Kaurna determination in 2018. Then, virtually step onto Country and hear powerful stories from Traditional Owners.

Key points in the podcast:

3:47 SANTS CEO Keith Thomas talks about Country, Culture,People.

8:00 Keith explains what native title is, how it's evolved in SA in the years since he's been at the helm of SANTS and discusses the remaining areas of SA that are yet to be determined.

18:15 Reuben Gore from Topbunk explains how the agency created the virtual reality display and how VR can be used to transport people to locations and scenarios that might not be easily accessible.

Country, Culture, People

South Australian Museum foyer, North Terrace, Kaurna Country

VR Experience available over weekends for the remainder ofAugust

In this episode, we speak with Glenn Chisholm about the vital work of River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation (RMMAC) rangers in the Riverland.

Cultural heritage protection is at the heart of their work, with a special focus on protecting ancestral burial sites using both traditional knowledge and modern scientific methods.

Glenn envisions state-wide ranger gatherings where teams can share knowledge, skills, and experiences across different Country types.

The program is growing, with plans to add new rangers over the next three years if funding is secured.

Following the devastating floods of 2022-23, rangers have been restoring damaged cultural sites and discovering new ones exposed by the waters.

They use mapping and monitoring techniques to track changes to sites over time and identify areas needing restoration or protection.

Collaborating with landowners and other stakeholders is crucial, though can be challenging, to gain access and support for protecting sensitive sites.

As Glenn proudly notes, these rangers aren't just protecting their own Country - they're making an impact that reaches far beyond their "little old country town."

Yitpi Yartapuultiku, the soul of Port Adelaide, recently opened to the public at an event attended by around 10,000 people.

Nearly 30 years in the making, the cultural centre is led and mostly funded by the Port Adelaide Enfield Council.

Aboriginal Way spoke with Kaurna Elder Uncle Lewis O'Brien and Aboriginal Community Lead Rodney Welch onsite about the importance of the new centre.

In this episode, Aboriginal Way speaks with the South Australian Museum's Aboriginal Heritage and Repatriation Manager, Anna Russo.

Learn more about the museum's updated repatriation process, the different communities that have been involved and the importance of repatriation in reconnecting Aboriginal people with their heritage.

You can read the accompanying story in the Autumn 2025 edition of Aboriginal Way magazine, out now - Aboriginal Way magazine - SA Native Title.

Aboriginal Way has spoken with several different communities about repatriation to get a varied perspective over the years. Search back through our podcast or magazine archives for more repatriation stories as we continue this coverage.

*Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners, please be advised that this episode contains mention of deceased people.*

Groups of young Aboriginal people are learning more about Country by heading out to remote nature reserves for 5-day camps through the Nature Foundation’s Kids on Country junior ranger program. 

Traditional Owners mentor high school students as they engage in practical on-Country studies in conservation and land management through a SACE-accredited course, which also involves classroom study and online learning. 

Nature Foundation’s CEO Alex Nankivell, says that since launching in 2016, Kids on Country has become a sought-after program for schools, with enquiries from across Australia.

The camps combine cultural stories, life skills such as car maintenance, fence repair, and cooking kangaroo tails over a campfire, as well as conservation projects such as bird and animal surveys.

🎧 Hear from program coordinators and students in this podcast and read the full article in the autumn edition of Aboriginal Way, out soon!

The preservation of the culturally significant Koonalda Cave in South Australia’s Far West Coast (FWC) region will be bolstered by the installation of new security cameras and the implementation of a comprehensive’ management plan.

In 2022, the National Heritage listed cave was broken into and vandalised by unknown culprits, with the installation of these cameras a direct response to this incident.

These new security measures were enabled by a $400,000 Australian Heritage Grant, facilitating the setup of remotely monitored cameras, recording 24 hours a day that can assist in prosecuting people who illegally access this site.

Koonalda Cave sits within the Nullarbor Wilderness Protection Area, around 80km east of the West Australian border, containing cultural heritage “highly vulnerable” to human damage and at risk from environmental changes.

Koonalda Cave has been closed off to the public since the late 1980s and is of particular significance to the Mirning people, featuring exceptionally well-preserved markings and evidence of flint mining and transformed contemporary understandings of Aboriginal art and archaeology in Australia.

In 1956, archaeologist Dr Alexander Gallus dated the archaeological remains and finger markings at Koonalda Cave to be from 22,000 years prior, with later dating via radiocarbon technology confirming this, which was revolutionary for the wider public’s understanding of Australia’s timeline.

During the development of the plan for the cave, Aboriginal groups with staked interest in the site were consulted, including the Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation (FWCAC), which holds native title rights over the area.

This episode features Mirning and Yankuntjyara man Clem Lawrie, who has strong familial connection to the cave, particularly through his mother’s side, and holds strong connection to the wider Nullarbor Plains.