“You don’t get to be the world’s oldest living continuing cultures without a great foundation of a system of law and living,” shares Education and Cultural Consultant, Brooke Prentis. 

Brooke is an Aboriginal Australian of the Wakka Wakka nation, and speaks about the relevance of the Dreaming and Songlines – significant concepts within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures – in this special Helping Hands two-part series on Indigenous Australia to coincide with NAIDOC Week. 

Brooke is joined by Adnyamathanha woman and University of Adelaide researcher, Rhanee Lester, and Gundungurra man and Indigenous Education Facilitator, Uncle David King. 

In this panel discussion, Rhanee explains the term Dreaming was coined in the 1950s by an anthropologist in Alice Springs who was trying to explain the common connection Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had to the land, and also the unique ways each nation would express their connection through culture, language, environment and history.

Rhanee explains that the Dreaming, as a term, is not an accurate description of Indigenous Australian connection to Country.  “There’s something that’s not reachable, not attainable (about the term),” says Rhanee.

“For us, as Aboriginal people, it’s embedded into our everyday lifestyle … Dreaming, to us, is telling the story of our history; how our people came to be, how creation came to be, how our land formed and our environment around us formed.” 

The Dreaming is an integral part of the foundation of Indigenous Australian cultures. It gives meaning to identity and wisdom for life on every level; individually, within community, to nations and as a people, communicating and connecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to their past, present and future, through stories. 

While the stories of the Dreaming create the foundations for life, Songlines, says David, create the connections between stories, peoples, lands and skies across Australia. 

David uses an analogy of his pathway of education from primary school through to university to explain that, for Indigenous Australians, Songlines are the classrooms of cultural learning. Their purpose is to create connections of the lands, lores, kinship processes and peoples of his Gundungurra nation, to that of their neighbours, and then further across all of Australia, along lines of cultural geography. 

The Dreaming and Songlines are always intertwined, explains Brooke, and they continue to empower Indigenous Australians today. 

“(They) are our whole system of law and living – carried through song and dance across Country,” says Brooke.  “Here we are as three Aboriginal people from various different nations, yet there’s a common thread through our systems of law and living.” 

Article supplied with thanks to Helping Hands TV.

Feature image: Canva

About the Author: Helping Hands is an Australian produced TV program that airs on 9GEM, Channel 9 and 9NOW, and showcases people and organisations who make the world a better place.

“Because people don’t have the experience walking alongside us, on Country, or in our daily lives … there are misconceptions and misunderstandings out there” says Rhanee Lester, Adnyamathanha woman and researcher at the University of Adelaide.

In this Helping Hands panel discussion, Rhanee is joined by Brooke Prentis, Wakka Wakka woman and Education and Cultural Consultant, and Uncle David King, Gundungurra man and Indigenous Education Facilitator, and share their personal stories of family and culture, and bring clarity to understanding Aboriginal identity.

“We, as Aboriginal people, are trying to figure out our own identity,” Rhanee shares, when asked if there is a correct term to use when referring to Aboriginal Australians – Aboriginal, Indigenous or First Nations.

Many non-indigenous Australians are keen to respect Aboriginal cultures and practices, and are careful to not offend when referring to Aboriginal peoples, Australia’s recent history, and the sensitives around reconciliation.

Brooke explains, “Those terms; Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Indigenous, First Nations, in one way they’re actually all correct terms and they are being used every day. But for us, as Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples, each person will have their own preference.”

David says that connecting with an Aboriginal person is key to know which term to use, and to help foster better relationships built on respect and understanding between all Australians.

He gives an example of his mother’s experience, “She said to me once that she wants to be Aboriginal … She struggled with Indigenous because she was brought up under the Flora and Fauna Act (which identified Aboriginal peoples as Indigenous animals of Australia). She reflected that being Aboriginal was being human, so she wanted to be that. So, it is that journey of connecting with your local people, finding out their terminologies … it’s getting to know that person.”

Understanding Aboriginal identity is more than knowing which term to use when referring to an Aboriginal person.  It is also about understanding the diverse cultural backgrounds of Aboriginal peoples, their stories, their ancient and recent histories, kinship, and much more.

David, Rhanee and Brooke share stories from their families and communities of the complex, regrettable, and often devastating history the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have experienced, and continue to take steps forward to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to find their own identity, and walk alongside non-indigenous Australians to step towards a positive future.

Article supplied with thanks to Helping Hands TV.

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About the Author: Helping Hands is an Australian produced TV program that airs on 9GEM, Channel 9 and 9NOW, and showcas

Beyond Stereotypes – An invitation To Understand The Indigenous Peoples of Australia

“83% of non-indigenous Australians have never socialised with an Aboriginal person,” shares Brooke Prentis, Education and Cultural Consultant*. “I think that’s where some of these stereotypes are coming from … I just hope that people can break down those stereotypes, actually get to know us and stop saying things that do hurt.”

Brooke is a Wakka Wakka woman and has a passion to see greater understanding, better relationships and a positive future develop between all peoples of Australia; Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australians alike.

Joining her for this important Helping Hands panel discussion is Rhanee Lester, Adnyamathanha woman and researcher at the University of Adelaide, and Uncle David King, Gundungurra man and Indigenous Education Facilitator, inviting us get a better understanding of the Indigenous peoples of Australia.

To understand what it means to be an Indigenous Australian is both a simple and a complex task. As a simple first step, explains Brooke, there are three different definitions to understand.

To be Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander means that;

• geographically, you belong to one of the three hundred Aboriginal nations across Australia, or hail from one of one hundred islands in the Torres Strait
• scientifically, you share genetic biology with the peoples identified as having existed here in Australia for 65,000 years
• and officially, according to the Australian Government’s definition, you;
  • have a proven Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage
  • self-identify as such
  • and are an active member of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community

However, for our panellists, defining what it means to be an Indigenous Australian goes deeper than meeting a set criteria. While the above definitions have an appropriate place, understanding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at only this superficial level allows room for misinformation, misunderstandings and unhelpful stereotypes to shape our conversations.

To overcome this lack of understanding and reduce stereotypes about Indigenous Australians, our panellists agree that fact-checking and relationship building are two essential keys.

“I think people need to understand … Indigenous history,” David says. “There were impacts. Quite often, I meet people who didn’t realise that there were people removed. Or some of the choices that were made within our society, and some of the changes that happened with our intake of food, our access to Country. And that really destroys Indigenous people. Going home and connecting to Country is a big thing.”

For Rhanee, who feels she is still journeying the best ways forward in understanding her identity, being known as a person of the Adnyamathanha people is an important foundation. While there are similarities between the many nations of Indigenous Australians, she explains that each nation is unique.

“We’ve got our own language. We’ve got our own cuisine. You’ll find certain foods in the environments in our area that will only be specific to that group. The songs and the dance will be specific to the landscape and specific to the sounds they’re hearing,” Rhanee says.

It’s these characteristics, she explains, that create the connection she seeks in understanding who she truly is, and she invites every Australian to find out more about the Aboriginal people and Country in our own neighbourhoods.

But perhaps the most important step forward, shares Rhanee, is making the choice to connect with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person better.

“Coming from a dual heritage – I’m also from a non-Indigenous background on my father’s side,” says Rhanee.

“You’re bringing two families together … and seeing how those relationships play out. In my case, I watched my family let love lead the way (and) it created a new family and a new sense of belonging to each other.”

Rhanee continues, “We need to come together an connect.”

* Brooke’s statistic quoted from the Reconciliation Barometer, 2022

Article supplied with thanks to Helping Hands TV.

Feature image: Canva

About the Author: Helping Hands is an Australian produced TV program that airs on 9GEM, Channel 9 and 9NOW, and showcases people and organisations who make the world a better place.

“For me, growing up on Boigu Island was like living in heaven on earth”, says indigenous evangelist, Laurel Pabai.

Located in the northernmost tip of Queensland’s Torres Strait Islands and just six kilometres from Papua New Guinea, Boigu Island is where Laurel was born and raised, among idyllic natural beauty, within the love and strength of her indigenous culture and community.

This week on our Helping Hands Easter special, we join Laurel as she returns home for the first time in 20 years.  We journey with her through emotional reunions with family, see her reconnect to indigenous tradition and culture, and see how she shares the Easter story with family and friends.

As the tiny single turboprop Cessna aircraft starts its descent towards Boigu Island’s airstrip, Laurel’s excited anticipation at being so close to home is evident in the upturned corners of her wide smile and the joy in her eyes. They reflect happy memories of home bubbling ever closer to the surface of her mind.

Once on the ground, Laurel immediately sees changes and improvements in her community. It now has many “Queenslander” style homes (raised off the ground so the flow of cool air can bring relief from the intense tropical heat), plantations of fruits and vegetables to sustain daily life, and greater employment, evidenced by buildings for a supermarket, ranger headquarters and a police station.

“The yarning circle of the First Nations Peoples of Australia is (for) storytelling and the passing of culture to the younger generations.”

“Time flies! You know, I get busy with my evangelism work. You’re not realising that there are family that are getting old because in your head you are thinking they are still young! It’s exciting. It’s a great time to come back and really get reconnected back into the culture … To us, culture is a way of life.”

While reliving childhood memories and reflecting on culture, Laurel invites us into a yarning circle.

“The yarning circle of the First Nations Peoples of Australia is (for) storytelling and the passing of culture to the younger generations,” says island elder, Uncle Fred Pabai, “making sure that our culture is alive … It’s the survival kit to the community to maintain and to be able to come together as one and unite.”

Storytelling is an importance part of all indigenous cultures across Australia, Uncle Fred says it is how indigenous people share and learn important cultural knowledge and history.

Uncle Fred acknowledges the role the Christian faith plays in the Boigu Island indigenous community, and invites Laurel to share the Easter story.

“With the Christian faith coming in, it’s good for the community,” says Laurel, referencing the Easter story as a light in the darkness that brings joy.

Laurel shares the Easter story in plain English, using an Easter story booklet produced by Bible League. The Plain English Version (PEV) of the Bible is an English translation designed for Indigenous Australian’s whose mother tongue is an Aboriginal language.

“It’s written in English,” says Laurel, “and it is easy to understand because it’s written in the English that we speak,” continues Laurel.

Laurel and Uncle Fred read the Easter story in English and talk about the Easter story in their native language.

“Because of the way it’s written, they now understand what the true meaning of Easter is.”

See the BIBLE LEAGUE – EASTER AT BOIGU ISLAND story and the full catalogue of Helping Hands documentaries at helpinghands.tv. Catch up on full episodes of Helping Hands on 9NOW.

Article supplied with thanks to Helping Hands TV.

Feature image: Supplied

About the Author: Helping Hands is an Australian produced TV program that airs on 9GEM, Channel 9 and 9NOW, and showcases people and organisations who make the world a better place.