Every year, NAIDOC Week is an opportunity to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples – in 2021, the theme is ‘Heal Country’. Allies to the First Nations communities should definitely make an effort to do this as part of our day-to-day lives, and NAIDOC Week is a good reminder to check in on how well you’re supporting the traditional owners of the country we live on. At Zee Feed, we like to focus on action. With that in mind, here are nine things you can do to play your role in helping to Heal Country – this week and beyond.
Quick summary: What Does ‘Heal Country’ Mean?
The concept of Country is completely intertwined with the identity of Australia’s First Nations people. Country is not only the natural world – land, sea and skies – but also encompasses the culture that connects Indigenous people to the land and each other. Common Ground Australia explains how Country is a lifeforce of its own.
Understanding this is key to aligning with the NAIDOC Week 2021 theme of “Heal Country”. The theme calls on non-Indigenous people to join Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s fight for better recognition, respect, protection and maintenance of both the land and culture.
On one hand, this is a clear environmental call to arms to protect nature from exploitation and destruction. On the other, it’s an equally urgent call to ensure that all people in Australia understand, respect and protect Indigenous heritage, cultural knowledge and values so they are not lost to history.
Read more on the NAIDOC Week website.
Help Protect Country
Some practical actions allies can take to play a part in healing Country:
- Learn whose Country you’re on:
It’s never too late to find out the traditional name for the Country you live, work, or were raised on, and learn about the specific nation group that owns it. Once you know where you (literally) stand, share it on social media with the Instagram NAIDOC Story templates or use it when sending and receiving mail via Australia Post’s new initiative.
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies has a map of Indigenous Australia that is a good place to start.
- Support Seed Mob:
Seed Mob is a branch of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition exclusively for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, to ensure they are on the climate justice frontlines. They run campaigns focussed on fighting for and protecting Country.
Find out more, sign their petitions or donate here: seedmob.org.au - Support the Torres Strait 8:
The Torres Strait 8 are a group of Torres Strait Islanders who are suing the Australian Government for failing to act on climate change, therefore putting their islands in danger. Their case is currently in front of the UN Human Rights Committee, who will decide whether the Government is breaching international law and may refer to the International Court of Justice.
Find out more, sign the petition or donate to the cause here: ourislandsourhome.com.au - Support Deadly Science:
Founded by Kamilaroi man and 2020 NSW Young Australian of the Year, Corey Tutt, Deadly Science is an organisation providing science books and materials to schools in remote Australia. Their aim is to ensure all schools can educate students about Australia’s very first scientists – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Find out more and donate here: deadlyscience.org.au - Support Firesticks:
Firesticks’ purpose is to educate and encourage the use of ‘cultural burning’ as an important method for fire control, management, and creating healthy, resilient landscapes. First Nations people have been working with and living off the land for 70,000 years – their expertise in bushfires deserves to be heard, and their fire practices upheld.
Find out more and donate here: firesticks.org.au
- Sign or donate localised environmental efforts:
There are lots of First Nations-led, locally-focussed campaigns and protest efforts focused on protecting Country from destruction and exploitation (usually from mining companies). A few to get involved in:
Quandamooka Truth Embassy – North Stradbroke Island headland development (QLD)
Logging the Nambucca State Forest (NSW)
Protect the Fitzroy River (NT)
Fracking in the NT
Help Preserve Culture
Some practical actions allies can take to play a part in preserving Culture, an important part of healing Country:
- Submit National Curriculum Review
Move quick! Public submissions into the proposed school curriculum changes for 2022 are only open until Thursday, July 8. Some of the changes include teaching First Nations perspectives on Australia’s history. If you didn’t do so during Reconciliation Week, spend five minutes either doing the survey or making a general submission to support and encourage deeper education of Indigenous history and heritage in schools.
Head to: australiancurriculum.edu.au/consultation
- Support Common Ground
An incredible First Nations not-for-profit, Common Ground puts the focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people, cultures and stories. They provide excellent educational resources and run campaigns to celebrate and share Culture with the wider community. In 2021, they are working on three key campaigns: turning non-secret Dreamtime stories into short films; telling the human stories behind the statistics of Indigenous incarceration; and building their network of First Nations creatives to use their platform.
Learn and donate to support their work here: commonground.org.au
- Watch NITV’s NAIDOC Programming
NITV has scheduled a bunch of shows and movies over the coming days that speak to the Heal Country theme. The very least you could do is pick a few that interest you, get comfy, and engage with the stories and themes. The programming includes historical, political and travel-style documentaries, dramas, crime shows, and iconic movies.
Check out the schedule on NITV
Main image: Nathan McGuire in Clothing the Gaps, Instagram/nathan.mcguire
