Aboriginal Way

During this week's program we spoke with Reconciliation SA CEO Jason Downs about the not-for-profits involvement with National Reconciliation Week.

The listed events run between May 27 - June 3rd, with the dates commemorating the passing of the 1967 referendum (May 27) and the anniversary of the landmark Mabo decision (June 3).

This year's theme is 'Now More Than Ever', with a focus on expanding reconciliation efforts despite last year's referendum result.

For event details and general information about NRW head along to https://www.reconciliation.org.au/our-work/national-reconciliation-week/

A time of healing, for women and for Country.

Imagine a gathering solely for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women from all over Australia to come together in celebration of the unique role they share in caring for Country.

The National Indigenous Women's Fire Workshop, Ngangkirna Kardlatidli: Women with Fire, was recently held on Kaurna land for Indigenous women to share important knowledge they have gathered over generations about safe practices of fire and land management.

Hosted by the Kaurna Fire Team, Kaurna Elders and Firesticks, three days of workshops spanned topics from creative Indigenous practices to governance, Indigenous cultural intellectual property rights and community self-determination.

Aboriginal Way spoke to event organisers and participants about their experiences, starting with proud Barkindji woman Nancy Bates, following her session Addressing Colonial Violence: Calling it in and Calling it Out.

The practice of managing Country with fire has returned to Wirraparinga (Brownhill Creek) on Kaurna Country.

During April, a Firesticks team including Clem Newchurch, Paul Dixon Jr and Quahli Newchurch carried out a cultural burn in an area of Kangaroo Grass at Wirraparinga (Brownhill Creek) for the first time in hundreds

Among those who attended these significant burns were

During this episode AW spoke with Clem Newchurch from Firesticks Alliance, Brownhill Creek Association community engagement officer and project manager, Ron Bellchambers and Uncle Jeffrey Newchurch.

The 40th anniversary of the historic Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Land Rights Act has been acknowledged during the long-awaited Kulilaya Festival at Umuwa.

The event took place on March 24, after facing delays due to the outbreak of COVID, and saw musicians, visual artists and performers present their history and stories through song and dance to commemorate the occasion.

Since putting ink to paper on the self-determining APY Lands Act in 1981, Anangu have held freehold title ownership of their Country, returning the right of self-governance and allowing Traditional Owners to determine how their land is managed.

The Act was one of the first to be granted in Australia and

Interviews included in this podcast are SA Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Kyam Maher, Greens Senator Tammy Franks, APY General Manager Richard King, SA Health’s

During this program we will be playing a variety of

We attended the group consultation in order to provide a

Across the course of the day we spoke with Narungga leader and traditional owner, Peter Turner, Narungga chief executive officer Doug Milera, T-Ports CEO Nathan Kent, and executive director for the Department of Infrastructure and Transport, Graham Jackson.

George Cooley is a senior man and community leader from Coober Pedy. He holds leadership positions across the Umoona and Coober Pedy communities and is a talented artist and opal miner.

He paints the spectacular desert landscapes of the Kaṉku-Breakaways, an area in northern South Australia that figures prominently in the creation stories and sacred songlines of the Antakirinja Matu-Yankunytjatjara people. 

The important site 25km north of Coober Pedy, is known for its spectacular hills, mesas and plains.

Mr Cooley's work is currently featuring at the 18th Adelaide Biennial of Australia Art at the Art Gallery of South Australia.

The Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Inner Sanctum is curated by Jose Da Silva, with 24 leading artists and poets featured in an exhibition at the AGSA until June 2.

On today's episode we speak with two First Nations artists featuring at WOMADelaide 2024.

First up is Rob Edwards, a talented local artist who uses his gift for music to channel his unique voice and express multi-generational storytelling.

Also featured is Cedric Varcoe, a renowned Narungga and Ngarrindjeri artist known for his iconic artwork that will feature on the WOMADelaide signage present at this year's festival.

Both artists advocate for the continued amplification of Aboriginal voices and history through their work, with emphasis on the power of connection through art and community.

On 27 February, Adelaide’s inaugural ‘Kaurna Day’ event is being hosted at the University of Adelaide.

Kaurna Day is a free public event that aims to recognise and celebrate the traditional owners of the Adelaide Plains – the Kaurna nation – through keynote talks, forums, culture, food and music. 

109 of 123 spoken Indigenous languages in Australia are endangered - one of the fastest rates of language loss in the world.

We are on the brink of losing many Indigenous languages as their endangerment becomes more pronounced as Elders pass.  

AW spoke to associate professor Rob Amery and Uncle Lewis Yerloburka O’Brien about their lifechanging collaboration to preserve the Kaurna language. 

With the South Australian First Nations Voice to Parliament pushing forward, eligible candidates are being asked to put their hand up and nominate themselves ahead of the March 16 election.

The SA Voice aims to platform people to speak on behalf of their communities on a range of matters and issues related to First Nations peoples.

AW spoke with SA’s Commissioner for First Nations Voice, Dale Agius, about the key frameworks, history and scope of the forthcoming Voice.

Detailed in our conversation are breakdowns of nomination areas, what participation will look like and general discussion about the function of the SA Voice.

Anyone wishing to nominate themselves will be able to do so up until 12 February 2024.

In 1840, a large group of shipwreck survivors were killed by Aboriginal people on the Coorong, with a monument installed in 1966 marking this massacre.

The monument omits detail of the controversial subsequent hanging of two Aboriginal men who were never granted a proper trial.

A collaborative project between the First Nations of the South East and the Kingston South East branch of the National trust is aiming to provide wider context to a historical site at a new native garden in Kingston South East.

The installations are to be put in place as part of the Telling the Whole Story project, lead by Tanganekald,

We spoke in detail with Professor Watson about the project.