Punks, junkies, bikies and an iconic poster – From Uluru to Wollongong and back
Wollongong, and in no small way the junkies, punks, bikies—and barmaids—of that town, had made an unsung contribution to the success of the Uluru handback. They had proved to one Anangu man that Australians of good will can be found in the most unexpected places.
Call for Papers: ‘Indigenous land and sea management in Australia and beyond’ session at CHAGS 12
Themes for this session and discussion could include the importance of and development of cultural maintenance activities; issues related to sites and objects of sacred significance and knowledge; the protection, application and moderation of intercultural scientific knowledge; practical issues including funding and managing relationships between governments at local, state and federal levels; the benefits—or not—of working with NGOs and reflections on interactions between cultural practitioners from different local, regional and national areas.
A short tribute to Sir Ninian Stephen
When Sir Ninian Stephen found that lands around Uluru-Kata Tjuta [Ayers Rock] were to be returned to their traditional owners he put his hand up to be the official representative of the Crown in handing over the title deeds.
Word of the week: kahmudngalalahminj (Dalabon)
The ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language (CoEDL) is investigating language as a diverse, dynamic and evolving organism that interacts with our perceptual processes in ingenious ways.
Fire hawk stories feature at Barrapunta bird workshop
The workshop allowed for clarification of the rather confusing overlap of three bird names, karrkkanj, ngalmirlangmirlang and wunwunbu. Karrkkanj, it turns out, is a term for the Black Kite but can also be applied to two other raptor species, the Peregrine Falcon and the Brown Falcon.
Call For Papers: ‘Ethno-ornithology: advances in collaborative research’ session at CHAGS 12
We welcome theoretical and speculative papers exploring the significance of bodies of emerging literature (e.g. honeyguides, fire-following raptors) as discussed and understood by groups of collaborators. We favor co-authorship with Indigenous researchers and participation of Indigenous collaborators in this session.
Vale The Voice – you never had a chance
Turnbull was right to reject The Voice but he has made an absolute hash of the rest of the recognition issue and has left the field open for Shorten to make merry havoc. It is an old saw but true that there are no votes in Aboriginal policy but Shorten can now pick up and run with the many "other issues" that are still on the table.
Talking Birds and Fire at the Barrapunta Bird Workshop, Arnhem Land, May 2017
Karrkkanj is a term for the Black Kite but can also be applied to two other raptor species, the Peregrine Falcon and the Brown Falcon, Professor Evans explains. The Peregrine Falcon can also be known more specifically as ngalmirlangmirlang and the Brown Falcon as wunwunbu; these are said to be husband and wife. Karrkkanj is also ritually significant as the one who founded the Lorrkkon mortuary cycle.
Independence day for the Mimal Rangers of Arnhem Land!
Wednesday October 25 marks a new era for Indigenous landowners and managers as Mimal Land Management Aboriginal Corporation celebrates its independence. Mimal has been on a long journey to independence since the inception of Mimal Rangers almost 20 years ago.
Tracker: Stories of Tracker Tilmouth, by Alexis Wright
Tracker was one of the few brilliant statesmanlike leaders we have had – one who stayed close to his own people, and who really had the capacity to push back the boundaries for much of the action that shapes how we think and have thought about our times.