NAIDOC Week 2016
NAIDOC Program
Cultural CelebrationThe programs, tours and learning activities here are for our people and the wider community. They are about experiencing our culture, strengthening awareness and understanding, as well as respecting and looking after Country. They help develop our knowledge-holders and custodians through ancestral stories and sharing of responsibilities to maintain our culture and look after Country.
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Bundjalung of Byron Bay Arakwal people are committed to working in genuine partnership within our Byron Shire area with schools, businesses and local council. Ceremonies and protocols are a vital part of Aboriginal culture. As part of this commitment we present to you protocols to be used in promotion of greater understanding of Arakwal Bundjalung people’s obligation to country and culture.
Arranging a “Welcome to Country” of the land shows respect for Arakwal Bundjalung people as the First Peoples. Welcome to Country promotes an awareness, understanding and mutual respect for cultural practices by both Arakwal Bundjalung and the wider community through observation of protocols and sharing in cultural practice. Improving relationships between the local Aboriginal community and the wider community through ceremony, protocols and the process of collaborative negotiation is vital.
Through story, dance and creative expression, this program provides participants with the opportunity to learn about the life and culture of our Arakwal people. Presented by Arakwal Aboriginal guides, participants join traditional owners in art, dance and ceremonies, learning about the significance of the land and sea and importantly dolphins to the our people.
The Arakwal Dubay (meaning women) Dancers are a dance troupe that practice and perform traditional dance. We have performed at local gatherings and key regional events including NAIDOC week, The Blues Festival and Splendor In The Grass. We perform a twenty-minute set and each dance has significance and meaning. For example, our welcome dance is about sweeping out the bad spirits and bringing in the good.
Our troupe is made up of local Indigenous women.
Our Men’s dance group here is called Bigal Nali Jagun which means ‘Men coming together representing country’.
Are you a young Aboriginal person looking to have fun, stay active and learn to surf? Come along to the Burra jurra Surfing Program and get together with other young Aboriginal people learning to surf or improve your technique with one of the best surfing coaches in NSW. The program includes learning about our cultural stories, places and plants. We get into surf safety, healthy eating,positive life style choices, bush tucker, dance and music.
Uncover the past and yarn about the present by joining traditional custodians, Arakwal Aboriginal guides in an investigation of The Pass midden, a 1000 year old significant Aboriginal site. Get involved in a walking storybook within the Cape Byron State Conservation Area and learn about the archaeological study, cultural traditions, bush tucker, the kinds, of weapons and tools used and the size of local communities and their use of the midden over time. The Pass midden is the only known large, substantially undisturbed foredune pipi midden remaining out of 82 middens recorded along the 75km coastline between Ballina and NSW-QLD border.
- Download Yarning About The Pass Midden Information
- Make a Booking
Join an Arakwal Aboriginal Discovery Guide to learn more about Arakwal Bundjalung people and their ongoing connection to culture in their local area. Explore the special connection to the Cape Byron State Conservation Area known as Walgun and other sites of significance. Rangers discuss traditional and contemporary culture, using Aboriginal tools, weapons and artefacts. Find about joint management between Arakwal (Bundjalung) people and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The activity concludes by walking the iconic Cape Byron Walking Track, hearing traditional stories and local history along the way.
- Download Walgun Walk and Talk Information
- Make a Booking
Join an Arakwal Aboriginal Discovery Ranger to learn more about Arakwal Bundjalung people and their ongoing connection to culture in their local area. Explore the special connection to the Cape Byron State Conservation Area, known as Walgun, and other sites of significance. Rangers discuss traditional and contemporary culture, using Aboriginal tools, weapons and artefacts. Find about joint management between Arakwal (Bundjalung) people and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The activity is conducted along the iconic Cape Byron Walking Track, hearing traditional stories and local history along the way. This activity is undertaken at the Cape Byron State Conservation Area, starting at Wategos Beach and finishing at the Cape Byron Lighthouse.
- Download Walk With Me: Aboriginal Walk and Talk Information
- Make a Booking
Hey, this is for all our families and friends. Get back on Country with our mob for a picnic or barbeque and a walk and talk. Enjoy being at home and yarning with other Bundjalung of Byron Bay Arakwal people.
Back to Country Day usually happens before we have a meeting or other official Arakwal cooperation business to attend to. They are part of our Arakwal Community programs. We will let you know when they are on – check out our Events Calendar.
Led by our guides from the Arakwal Aboriginal Cooperation, participants engage in a tour and activities relating to bush food. Traditional and contemporary indigenous food technology, preparation and nutrition are examined and discussed.
Participants have the opportunity to taste bush tucker and campfire food, learn about traditional bush medicine and listen to stories from the Arakwal tradition.
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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.
Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) is an important totem for our people. Wajoong gives us messages about relationships between our clan members, to our ancestors and the past, and also to particular places and sites in our Country. We have stories of our people and dolphins communicating and connecting with each other, including co-operative fishing, sharing resources from the ocean, and playing in the shallows. Sea Eagle (Miwing)
White Breasted Sea Eagle (Haliaetus leucogaster) is an important totem for us. Miwing gives us messages about clan and family groups, provides knowledge on hunting practices and environmental events on Country. The second largest raptor (bird of prey), you can see the majestic Miwing soaring above you as you walk along Tallow Beach or around the Cape. Carpet Snake (Kabul)
Carpet Snake (Morelia spilota) as one of our key totems symbolises the relationship of clan members to each other, to our ancestors and the past, and to particular places or sites. Kabul are important to us for their conservation, wild resource and other cultural values. Brush Turkey (Wollum)
Brush Turkey (Alectura lathami) is a messenger providing clues about and demonstrating knowledge and adaptability in knowing and using Country. Wollum lives and moves freely in the coastal bush, foraging through leaf litter for food to eat. The male builds large mounds out of vegetative material and uses it to incubate their eggs. Pied Oystercatcher (language name?)
Pied Oystercatcher (Haematopus longirostris) is an important bird to us because they provide messages about food sources and environmental events in Country. The Pied forages on the beaches and rocky shores, in mudflats of inlets, bays, ocean beaches, and on offshore islets. Green Turtle (Bijahlin)
Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) is an important messenger that provides knowledge of the sea Country. Biwing nests on north coast beaches including Tallow Beach and Lennox Heads to the south. Julian Rocks (Nguthungulli) supports significant populations of the Biwing and if you go snorkeling or diving there, you can have a close encounter with these graceful creatures.