Aboriginal Way

With constant rolling coverage in regard to the Federal Referendum, you may have missed the establishment of the South Australian First Nations Voice to Parliament. Back in March, South Australia became the first Australian jurisdiction to pass a bill legislating a State Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Separate from the Federal Voice, the initiative is intended to provide a direct line of communic...

A lost totem of the Erawirung people, the Murray crayfish, has returned to SA waters, despite being made extinct in the area due to pollution, overfishing and river regulation. On May 16, 200 crays were relocated from parts of the NSW and ACT run of the Murray River with ongoing monitoring to be undertaken by the River Murray Mallee Aboriginal Corporation (RMMAC) rangers Erawirung man and ranger c...

Charlie Flannigan was a prize-winning jockey and stockman who became the centre of a murder trial that gripped the Northern Territory in 1892. Darwin-based historian and Library & Archives NT curator Don Nawurlany Christophersen spoke with Aboriginal Way about the impact of Flannigan's sketches, found in the SA Museum archives, before he became the first person officially sentenced to hang...

Faith Thomas AM, the first Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person to play for Australia in any sport, has died at aged 90. The Adnyamathanha woman, who was born at the Nepabunna Aboriginal Mission in 1933 to an Aboriginal mother and German father was selected to play cricket for South Australia in the 1950’s, before going on to play Test Cricket for Australia against England at Melbourne'...

“There’s a sense of excitement that something really big is growing from this and it’s encompassing not just the school, but everything around the school that’s linked to it… I’m awed that my boys get to have this experience and know that it will be a visible part of their lives forevermore. It’s not going to be this hidden, misunderstood almost myth that you hear about as a child, that’s edited s...

Over the last two days, the Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney, the Federal Attorney-General Julian Leeser, the Special Envoy for Reconciliation and the Implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart Pat Dodson, met with the Federal Voice to Parliament Referendum Working Group and Referendum Engagement Group on Kaurna Land. The Working Group also met with Acting Premier Susan C...

The biggest South Australian event dedicated to improving the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is coming up quickly. The annual “Closing the Gap day” from Sonder and Nunkuwarrin Yunti will be held on Kaurna Country at the Adelaide Showgrounds on Thursday, 16th March from 11am to 3pm. Here to tell us about it on the show today is Njirrah Rowe, the Team Leader of Sonder's Closi...

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 w...

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. After a 25-year wait, Justice O’Bryan met the Wirangu and Nauo peoples at Elliston Community Hall to deliver their native title consent determination.  Listen to different perspectives on a historic day from Just...

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 p...

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...

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...

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 busines...

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...

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...

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 b...

InFocus is a segment where we speak to PBCs who are creating exciting social and economic developments for their Aboriginal members and communities. In this week's episode, we yarn with Yandruwandha woman, Teresa Gallo, who is the Chairperson of Yandruwandha Yawarrawarrka Traditional Land Owners Aboriginal Corporation (YYTLOAC). YYTLOAC acts as the agent for the native title rights and interests o...

How do Aboriginal groups reach native title status and what happens to them when they do? Today we're speaking with the CEO of South Australian Native Title Services, Keith Thomas, to find out more about: •the services needed to reach native title status •the services available after native title is claimed •support and services available to Aboriginal groups here in South AustraliaIf you're a reg...

The dingo is often referred to as a pest - at least to farmers - but it is also a significant living feature in First Nations culture and important within the Australian ecological system. Wild Dog is the first artistic outcome of a multi-year cultural maintenance and revival project that will connect the dingo story from Kaurna and Narungga country in South Australia to Lardil Country in Morningt...

For many Aboriginal language groups across South Australia, the word 'tjindu' translates to sun or sunshine, so it was the perfect choice to name a foundation whose purpose is to help Aboriginal children and young people shine their brightest. The Tjindu Foundation aims to build resilience, school retention and employment prospects for the Aboriginal students who participate in their engagement an...

The Wangayarta Memorial Park was created specifically to rebury Kaurna ancestorial remains being returned from museums and universities. If you haven't already, go back and listen to our first episode about Wangayarta, on December 9 2021, which explains the backstory of the memorial park. In this episode, we hear from Kaurna Elders, Uncle Moogy Sumner and Aunty Madge Wanganeen, who've been involve...

Landscape SA has released its ten-year State Landscape Strategy. South Australia's landscape boards, peak bodies, local and state government agencies, and other landscape management stakeholders have worked together to develop the strategy. The document outlines seven priorities for the landscape boards and their communities to consider in their land management practices. Landscape stakeholder, Tr...

Today - Friday, 3 June, 2022 marks 30 years since the 1992 Mabo decision by the High Court of Australia. The landmark decision disproved 'terra nullius' (land belonging to no-one) and led to the native title act the following year. Osker Linde, the Deputy Principal Legal Officer at SA Native Title Services joined us on the show to explain the complexities of the native title system.

"I wanted to make the flagpoles visible to members of the public walking past Government House so they're able to see the Australian flag, the flag of South Australia, the Australian Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag flying side by side in a prominent position, permanently." - SA Governor Frances Adamson. The four flags were raised at a flag dedication ceremony at the beginning o...

iDreaming tv is a South Australian Indigenous screen and new media arts organisation which has just launched a brand new online channel, dedicated to showcasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artwork and media content. Funded by the Australian Government's Indigenous Languages and Arts program, the online channel 12 years in the making aims to change the landscape for Aboriginal artists by...