Indigenous culture Archives - Early Learning Childhood Education

27/06/201927/06/2019

NAIDOC Week 2019: A Shared Future

NAIDOC Week is upon us from 7 – 14 July, 2019 with this year’s theme: Voice. Treaty. Truth. Let’s work together for a shared future. This theme represents the need for Australia’s democracy to have an enhanced Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice and presence. This will ensure that everyone’s voices are heard and everyone has a say in our shared future, as well as acknowledging our shared past.

Acknowledging NAIDOC Week in early childhood is important for two reasons. Firstly, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children deserve to see their identities and culture reflected in their education. We believe in shining a light on all cultures and celebrating them in centres, to help broaden children’s view of the world. Children will also develop an appreciation of our many differences, but also our similarities no matter where we are from or what we look like. Secondly, all children deserve to be able to develop an understanding that Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and culture is one of the oldest in the world. We are very lucky to share in this beautiful country and its remarkable history.

How to celebrate NAIDOC Week 2019

You can celebrate NAIDOC Week any way you wish. One approach is to take a broader look at Indigenous Australia, exploring land, art, language and music.

The NAIDOC website suggests a few points on how you can go about celebrating:

Invite elders or others to talk about local sacred sites or Indigenous culture
Learn the traditional names and stories for places, mountains, rivers etc around your region

To celebrate Indigenous culture in a more general sense you might like to:

Read a Dreamtime story
Create your own Aboriginal art
Listen to Indigenous music
Take children to visit local Indigenous sites of significance or interest if possible

Alternatively, you might like to focus on this year’s theme, which centres on the power of having a voice. This might encourage you to look at how we use our own voices to shape our worlds and how we all deserve to be heard.

Expanding our knowledge and understanding of our history and culture is such a special part of learning and being Australian we have a rich Indigenous history that deserves to be recognised and celebrated. Take the opportunity to do just that this NAIDOC Week.

21/06/201822/06/2018

Because of Her, We Can! NAIDOC Week 2018

NAIDOC Week will be held from July 8 through to July 15, with the 2018 theme ‘Because of Her, We Can!’. Each year we encourage centres to acknowledge NAIDOC Week and use it as a perfect opportunity to give children a complete understanding of Australia’s history and culture.

This year’s focus is on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women – their roles in community and as strong, resilient and influential pillars of society. Throughout NAIDOC Week we can open up discussion about Aboriginal culture, what we know about it and how we celebrate it (and why we should!).

Three tips for incorporating the 2018 NAIDOC Week theme in your centre

There are many ways to take a general approach to NAIDOC Week, but if you want to focus on the theme ‘Because of Her, We Can!’, you might enjoy these ideas:

1. This resource from the NAIDOC website depicts Aboriginal women taking a stand and fighting against injustice. Show the image to children and ask what they see and discuss.

2. Read a book about Aboriginal culture as told by an Aboriginal woman. Welcome to Country, How the Birds Got Their Colours or The Shack that Dad Built are great options to consider!

3. Ask children about what a woman’s role is in their lives. Use this opportunity to break down any gender stereotypes, using examples of men and women doing a variety of jobs.

You may find some useful educational approaches here: http://www.naidoc.org.au/resources/teaching-guides

For a more general approach to celebrating Australia’s indigenous people, try these ideas:

Draw the flag, paint the flag or even simply colour in printouts of the flag. Here’s one.
Talk about how Aboriginal people were here long before anyone else and take note of which people occupied the land where your centre or home is. For example, Aspendale in Victoria was occupied by the Bunarong people from the Kulin Nation. Perhaps you can take a walk around the block and identify some Aboriginal street names.
Aboriginal culture also has a distinct style of art, music and performance that children love. Share this with children by playing music, showing them a digeridoo, or doing their own dot paintings for example.

Enjoy celebrating NAIDOC Week with your children and remember – because of her, we can!

Image source: http://www.naidoc.org.au

25/05/201725/05/2017

Recognising National Reconciliation Week in Centres

It’s National Reconciliation Week (NRW) from 27 May until 3 June, with 2017’s theme ‘Let’s take the next steps’.

All over the country, we will see cultural, sporting, community and arts events recognising and celebrating reconciliation and its place in the story of Australia.

Centres and families might like to share some of Australia’s history reconciliation journey with children during NRW. After all, education is the key to changing the world.

The significance of the NRW dates

As explained on the official National Reconciliation Week website, the dates of NRW represent two very important dates in Australia’s reconciliation journey.

May 27 was the date of the 1967 referendum, resulting in the removal of two sections of the Australian Constitution, which discriminated against Indigenous Australians.

June 3 is a nod to the date of the historic Mabo decision in 1992, whereby Eddie Koiki Mabo fought for Australian land ownership laws to be changed. He succeeded, with the Mabo case going down in history as a landmark High Court decision recognising native title in Australia and the abolishment of terra nullius. (More about Mabo here.)

National Reconciliation Week resources for child care centres

It’s up to you what extent you celebrate the week, but to help you introduce it into centres (or your home), we’ve pulled together some resources for you.

You might like to print this official NRW poster. Access this pdf poster here.
Encourage children to take part in experiences that celebrate Aboriginal culture. You might find something local in your own community, like a Reconciliation Walk. You could even create your own community event! Find an event in your community here or even register your own event here.
Learning about the two Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags and their meaning in Australia is essential education. For example, the Aboriginal flag represents the Aboriginal people, the red earth and the spiritual relationship to the land and the yellow sun, the giver of life. The Torres Strait Islander flag is a symbol of the Torres Strait Islanders, the five white stars symbolise the five major island groups and how important the stars are for the seafaring people. The green stripes represent the land, black stripes represent the people and the blue is the sea.
Read books derived from Aboriginal culture. How the Birds Got Their Colours by Pamela Lofts is a wonderful story. Try The Naked Boy and the Crocodile. It is a unique in that it is a collection of short stories written by children from remote Indigenous communities. Very fun and interesting.

Teaching children about the history of the First Nations People of Australia and how far we have come is vital as we work together to take the next steps in the ongoing journey that is reconciliation.

Share your special ideas about celebrating Reconciliation Week with young children with us on Facebook!

P.S. Do you or a centre you know do amazing work relating to the recognition or celebration of reconciliation? Nominate them for a Narragunnawali Award!

01/07/201513/11/2015

Learn, Respect and Celebrate – NAIDOC Week 2015

In 2015 the National NAIDOC theme is We All Stand on Sacred Ground: Learn, Respect and Celebrate.

Taking place from July 5-12, 2015, NAIDOC Week, as always, presents educators across the country with the opportunity to discuss and celebrate Australia’s rich indigenous culture.

If you haven’t celebrated NAIDOC Week before, NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’, who would organise the events for this week of celebration, but has since become the name of the week itself. The week is dedicated to activities centred on supporting and celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

The NAIDOC website suggests a few points on how you can go about celebrating this year’s theme:

Invite elders or others to talk about local sacred sites or Indigenous culture
Learn the Traditional names and stories for places, mountains, rivers etc around your region

To celebrate Indigenous culture in a more general sense you might like to:

Read a Dreamtime story
Create your own Aboriginal art
Listen to Indigenous music
Take children to visit local Indigenous sites of significance or interest if possible

Expanding our knowledge and understanding of our history and culture is such a special part of learning, and being Australian we have a rich Indigenous history that deserves to be recognised and celebrated.

Here we also have for you some ideas, that can be used for celebrating NAIDOC week at home, in a centre, for a school holiday program or an incursion.

NAIDOC Week is the perfect time to do this and you’ll find plenty more information and resources via their website: naidoc.org.au