We stock a range of publications including DVD’s, reports, and resource books related to Arakwal culture and country. This includes the plan of management for Arakwal National Park prepared by NPWS. Check with us that we have them in stock.

Also you can check out Our Programs and Activities section of this website. In here are a range of our cultural learning programs, some of which have learning materials associated with them that may not be available through the Cape Gallery Shop. Go have a look when you get a chance!

Click here to go to Our Programs and Activities. 

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A number of our community members are talented artists expressing their culture in visual form. Their artwork tells stories and helps to maintain our culture and tradition.

See the paintings and artwork presently on display and available for purchase through the Cape Gallery Shop. You can also view work by these artists by going to the page ‘Our Creative People’ under this section of the website. There you can also read about these artists, their stories, why they create art and what inspires them.

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Whilst we don’t have a lot of crafts for viewing and for sale presently, our people enjoy making things from traditional baskets, practical tools to help us fish and hunt, and jewellery to wear.

This work reflects our culture and traditions and when combined with contemporary styles and materials creates quality fashion and craft items. Check this area out from time to time for additions to the gallery.

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Binungal! (Stop! Look! Listen!)

By being on Country watching, listening and learning – we can get to know this Country, respect and use it wisely, and understand how to look after Country.

When we are in Country we follow some basic bush rules and we invite you to follow them too, especially if you are visiting our cultural sites.

Yoway! Thank you!

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics census (2011) the Aboriginal population in Australia is 548,368. The total population of Australia is 21,507,717. This equates to Aboriginal people making up 2.5% of total Australian population.

Generally just being Aboriginal exposes you to a vast range of statistics and averages that are equal to and in many cases worse than those living in third world conditions. Have a look at some key statistics below on important social indicators and you can see how we lag behind non-indigenous people in Australia in these and other areas.

Education
• 25% of indigenous people had completed year 12, compared with 52% of non-Indigenous people.
• 26% of Indigenous people reported having a post-school qualification, compared with 49% of non-Indigenous people.
• 4.6% of Indigenous people had attained a bachelor degree or higher, compared with 20% of non-Indigenous people.

Employment
• 42% of Indigenous people aged 15 years or older were employed and 17% were unemployed. In comparison, 61% of non-Indigenous people were employed and 5% were unemployed
• The most common occupation classification of employed Indigenous people was ‘labourer’ (18%) followed by ‘community and personal service workers’ (17%). The most common occupation classification of employed non-Indigenous people was ‘professional’ (22%).

Income
• The average gross household income for Indigenous persons was around approximately 59% of that for non-Indigenous persons.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2012) Census of population and housing: characteristics of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2011. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The Arakwal people are not separate from these statistics and averages. Many of our people have passed on at too young an age, and many still live in harsh conditions. Prior to the Native Title legislation the Arakwal people were not recognised within any level of Government or community. Essential Services and employment opportunities were nonexistent. Many larger communities have developed Aboriginal organisations to address needs and to develop their communities. Many smaller communities had no voice and could only expect to rely on outreach services to try to address issues and deliver vital services.

Substantial improvement to the health and wellbeing of our people requires integrated strategies involving all levels of government, business interests and the wider community working with us to effectively address the complex factors underlying the disadvantages we suffer. This needs to be part of a long-term vision and approach that includes adequate resources and effort being made available over a long period of time, and through changing economic and political cycles.

To learn more about the current conditions the majority of Aboriginal people in Australia live under please have a look at the link below.
http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/health-facts/overviews/the-context-of-indigenous-health

The negotiation of the 1^st Indigenous Land Use agreements (IULA) in 2001 between the Arakwal people and the NSW Government provided the Arakwal with the first real chance to develop new opportunities for our people. The ILUA’s and the establishment of the Bundjalung of Byron Bay Aboriginal Corporation (Arakwal) has meant that the Arakwal people are now in a better position to care for the well being of Arakwal people and land.To learn more go to the Key Activities under Arakwal Corporation.
http://arakwal.com.au/category/arakwal-corp/key-activities/

Alongside the welfare and social issues that we contend with every day, some of the main issues we seek to address are:

• Employment and education opportunities
• Cultural rejuvenation and practices
• Caring for Country beyond the Arakwal National Park
• Cultural resources agreement with Cape Byron Marine Park
• Children and youth support programs
• Adequate housing so mob can return to Country
• Business and economic development
• Social development and positive lifestyle choices

We believe that by working positively on these areas together with the wider community it provides us with the foundation to make real change and a positive impact for the Arakwal people and land now and in the future.

Arakwal Eagles 2012 Koori Mail. Rugby Knockout Champions.

Ashleigh is a rising star in the international tennis world. At 13 years of age, she won two International Tennis Federation (ITF) under-18 events in Ipswich, before completing an undefeated singles campaign for Australia at the ITF World Junior Tennis Competition in the Czech Republic in August, 2009.

Ashleigh was awarded Female Junior Athlete of the Year, at the Newcombe Medal awards in December, 2010. Ashleigh lists winning the 14′s and 16′s Nationals and an ITF Tournament back to back to back as her greatest achievements, so far. Her ultimate goal is to play in the main draw at Wimbledon. Ashleigh’s message to young Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders is:

“Always be positive and it doesn’t matter what people say. Be your own stereotype and do what you like.”

Dale grabbed headlines when he qualified for the QuikSilver Pro surfing tournament on the Gold Coast in 2007, becoming the first Indigenous surfer to reach the main draw of a World Championship Tour event. His amazing performances against world champions Kelly Slater and Andy Irons marked him as a future surfing megastar. Dale is happy that he is seen as a role model for aspiring Indigenous surfers.

“I’ve got heaps of love for the sea. I really can’t go more than a couple of days without going in the water. Catching a perfect wave is just the best feeling in the world, especially if you’ve got heaps of friends around.”   “If they see me making some money and having fun and they get into it, that’s a good thing.”

Image: http://www.tracksmag.com/20090910134/Tracks-Features/General/Know-Your-Roots.html

At the age of 24 is already a University lecturer and a champion of Indigenous culture and education. Kiel was recently well-deserved winner of NAIDOC’s Youth of the Year award. Born and raised in Brisbane he is a proud descendant of the Mununjali people of the Beaudesert region in Queensland. After immersing himself in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, Kiel developed a strong desire for a better life for Indigenous people in Australia. He was the first in his family to attend university, graduating with a Bachelor of Education from Griffith University.

He is now a literacy coordinator at Clontarf Aboriginal College in Western Australia and a lecturer at the University of Notre Dame, where he helps other teachers understand the needs of Indigenous school students. Kiel plans to study further study and hopes one day to be a principal in an Indigenous school. Through his dedication, passion and love for his people, Kiel has influenced many young lives. He is a role model for Indigenous students and an inspiration for other young educators.

Grew up strongly connected to the red soil of Darwin in the Northern Territory, part of a multicultural family, with an aboriginal mother and Indonesian father. After leaping into the limelight on Australian Idol in 2006, Jessica has gone on to become a massive star, signing a record deal with Sony and recording hit albums including: ‘The Journey’ (2007), ‘Been Waiting’ (2008) and ‘Get ‘em Girls’ (2010) which she recorded with Snoop Dog and Ludacris. In January 2010, Mauboy also made her acting debut in the film adaptation of the 1990 Indigenous musical, Bran Nue Dae. Jessica recently took some time out to fly to Canberra to be the face of the National Multicultural Festival and hang out with some of her young Indigenous fans.

“Growing up I never thought I’d be a role model. I just love what I do…  If I can give kids a little bit of inspiration that they can achieve their dreams, that’s awesome.”

Our Burra Jurra Surfing Program is a great way to meet other young crew and kidz, learn more about our culture while learning to surf! Cool hey! Join us for fun day in the sun, on the beach, and in the waves. For more information visit the link below.

Click here to check out Burra Jurra Surfing Program

We believe staying healthy is a sure way to living a cruizy life. That’s why we stay active in both our body and minds. We also know that everyone needs help sometimes so we are here to reach out to other youth and to sharing ways to a healthy lifestyle.

“My general interests revolve around the topic of mental health, which I believe is a major issue, especially in our generation. My dream for the future is to be able to help as many people as possible with their “demons” (mental health issues)”.

Ngurungaeta, Arakwal youth community member, age 15

Info and Support

Here are some links with info and support for mental health issues for young people as a whole and those of us of Aboriginal descent.

• National Youth Mental Health Foundation

http://www.headspace.org.au/

• Healthdirect Australia

http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/MentalHealthofYoungPeople

• Byron Bay Youth House – check out their programs

 http://byronbayyouthhouse.org/links.html

• Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/

Some of us are part of the Dubay Dancers; a group of local Arakwal women who perform traditional dance in respect for our ancestors, family, culture and country. We learn about the stories and dances passed on for generations and perform them with pride!

Check out a video of one of our performances.

We love learning about traditional art techniques. It helps us to learn more about our culture, country and who we are.

Congratulations to one of the Young, Black and Deadly crew who won the Reconciliation Week 2012 Poster Design and Story Writing Competition for 12 – 17 year age group. Way to go!

The competition is over now, but for more information please visit the link below.

Byron Shire Council – Aboriginal services and programs

http://www.byron.nsw.gov.au/aboriginal-services-and-programs

Our Arakwal mob live in our traditional lands and across Australia. Many Arakwal mob have natural gifted talent and  are really kicking Goals!! Our traditional country has a history of producing great talent and this continues in our next generation!!

• In sport we play soccer, track, rugby, surfing, and even a bit of amateur boxing.
• We are also doing great at school, modelling, arts, community ,environment and drama to name a few.

We enjoy and encourage our mob to dream and do the things in life you enjoy…

Check out the Byron High School Newsletter to read about some of our crew winning NSW State Championship Relay Team races and also academic competitions like the Australian National Chemistry Quiz. Here is the link ….             

http://www.byronbay-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/home

Some of us are members of the Byron Shire Youth Council. We work with the local Byron Shire Council to help represent the youth in our community. Click on the link below to learn more about it.

Byron Shire Youth Council:
http://www.byron.nsw.gov.au/committees/youth-council

The following Learning Materials for Cape Byron Marine Park Sea Country are available for download. Click Learn More below to find out more about this program.

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Click here to download the CBMP Sea Country MP Module 4 (PDF 2.6mb)

To learn more about the full Cape Byron Marine Park Kit go to:

http://www.mpa.nsw.gov.au/capebyron_kit.htm

This module of the NSW Marine Parks Education Kit explores Aboriginal peoples’ connection to and use of the sea (sea country) in the Cape Byron area, including their traditional practices, and how this connection is expressed through art, dance and music.

The importance of various habitats within the near-shore marine environment of cape Byron is taught through 4 modules, which includes the sustainable use of these habitats and marine resources by the traditional Aboriginal custodians.

The modules cover marine parks and conservation, estuaries, rocky shores, and Aboriginal cultural heritage, offering a comprehensive interactive learning experience for primary school students and other interested people.

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Alongside the Arakwal National Park Employment Strategy we have recently  developed an Employment Strategy with Cape Byron Marine Park.

This Employment and Training Strategy was developed to assist us to identify employment opportunities in and around the Cape Byron Marine Park. It is linked to working on Country, with culture, and linking with other agencies.

It is envisaged that as we continue to grow we will have more capacity to offer meaningful employment to Arakwal people both within this Agency and by partnering with others.

This strategy was funded with the assistance of the Cape Byron Marine Park. For further information about this strategy contact us through this website.

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Another goal for the Arakwal people is to provide affordable housing for our People so more of our Mob can live on country.

This is no simple task!!

Our mob have many memories of when Byron Bay was a small isolated fishing town and not known to the world. Now Byron is a very busy and expensive place to live, and  many of our people just simply can’t afford to live here. Seems like the world caught up with Byron Bay and we were left behind!!

It is important that we make the right economic decisions so we can continue to provide much needed affordable housing for our people and our mob can live on country again. So in our business strategies and management of what we have we are looking at how we can bring about our aim to get more Mob back on Country. Watch this space!

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Wategos is a small bay and surrounding valley facing north and located next to and overlooked by Cape Byron (Walgun) and its famous lighthouse - the most easterly part of Mainland Australia .

Wategos Beach is a popular visitors spot, and well sought after property area that provides serene views of Nuthungulli and the Wollumbin Mountain caldera hinterland.

As part of ILUA 2 Arakwal People were handed back 2 lots of undeveloped blocks. The Arakwal people are looking at the best options for usage of this land for the long term benefit of our People.

Additional information about our purpose and decisions on this land will be here in the future when available.

The Arakwal people officially reclaimed Broken Head Holiday Park in July 2009, as part of an Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA2) with the New South Wales Government.

Situated on the beachfront of Broken Head approximately seven kilometres south of Byron Bay, Broken Head Holiday Park (BHHP) is surrounded by Arakwal National Park. There are great walks, surfing, swimming, fishing and stunning views north towards Walgun (Cape Byron) and south along the small bays like Bray’s Beach where our people have fished and camped over many generations.

The Arakwal people continue uphold Aboriginal to cultural values whilst also ensuring Broken Head Holiday Park operates as an affordable holiday destination.

Revenue from the Broken Head Holiday Park is being used for upgrades to the BHHP,operating our corporation and supporting other Arakwal projects.

We are also looking  to develop unique cultural and recreational programs linked to the BHHP  holiday experience.

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In traditional times our people have always gathered to celebrate or to arrange community business. Whilst these times have changed, gathering as a mob still plays a vital role in our family and community. Community support programs play important roles in building and supporting our community, and linking us with the wider community.

We hold Specific Arakwal Days called Back to Country Days.

Many of our friends work with Arakwal in organising programs and events that bring together our mob and the wider community. These events prove to be beneficial in creating harmony as well as educating the broader community on the Arakwal perspective on history or issues.

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The new Byron Bay library scheduled to open by the end of 2012 will contain a designated room for indigenous research and archival material, as well as a room for Arakwal cultural activities. We are excited about the possibilities this can bring in sharing our culture with the wider community, as well as having a place to store some information, and to meet and do things as a community for our own learning.

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Our general cultural induction course has been developed to guide people to listen, look and learn, exploring our Arakwal cultural website to gain better understanding about us and our country.

Using a ‘Moodle’ based software program linked to our website, participants log-in and listen to audio, watch video and read from the website. Then you can answer questions to check whether you have understood our messages and protocols about being on Country; know a bit about who we are; what we are doing to care for country; and the sort of challenges we face today.

Our program has 5 sections:

(1) welcome to country  (2) our culture-our stories (3) binungal: stop look and listen                                       (4) looking after country (5) key issues we face today

We hope it is fun, that people learn some things, and pass the ‘test’ to become a more informed friend!                                      

Click here to login to the Cultural Induction Program

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Our website is a place for us to share our culture and passion for Country with you. It’s for our Mob, wherever you are, for learning, to stay in touch and keep connected, sharing our challenges and belonging. It’s for our friends and colleagues to keep in touch, supporting and helping us in what we are doing. It’s for everyone who is interested in what we are doing here, our stories, our creativity, and our love of Country.

We are working on making the site slowly, getting our Mob logged-in and using it to help keep connected. We are working out what information to put up for everyone, like stories we can share, and what needs to stay between us. Its a good place to store information on things we’ve been doing, like the native title negotiations and agreements we’ve made about looking after Country; as well as photos and interesting videos.

We’ve got plans for the website in the near future, and maybe more in years to come …. online media and social networking is something we all are going to have to get used to! It can help us but it won’t replace our real connection to Country and the knowledge and values we hand down through stories and advice from our elders to younger generaltions. This has been going on a long time, and we are going to make sure it keeps on going.

Our Arakwal Aboriginal Corporation Board endorsed the website at its board meeting on the 29th June 2012 ready for its official public launch as part of NAIDOC Week celebrations in early July 2012. The website was presented to friends and invited guests on the afternoon of the 4th July at the Byron Bay Community Centre main theatre.

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We have a range of cultural learning and awareness programs for our own people and the wider community. They help us maintain our culture and connection to Country, and encourage others to understand the importance of this. They also provide opportunities for our people to work on and share their knowledge about Country. We want people to respect our culture and respect Country. 

A good example of the programs we organise and run is Dolphin Dreaming. An experiential program, it helps people become more aware about respecting, valuing and appreciating Arakwal Country and our culture.  It’s led by an experienced Arakwal guide giving the opportunity for participants to learn about Aboriginal culture, language, music, local families & history in Arakwal Country. We are looking forward to doing more with our programs in the future.

Click here to learn more about Dolphin Dreaming and our other Cultural Programs and Activities.

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