Murri activist Ken Canning, respecting women, respecting Mother Earth

"Every indigenous peoples in the world recognise Mother Earth is our ultimate mother, she gives life to everything," so firmly believes Murri activist, writer and poet Ken Canning on the importance of women. "If you do not have respect for the giver of life and if you disrespect women, you're disrespecting your own Mother Earth... You can not disrespect the one who brought you into this world," he says.

Ken Canning/Burruga Gutya, Indigenous activist, writer and poet Source: SBS Filipino

As the country celebrates the NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee) Week, this year particularly recognises the role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have played and continue to play as pillars of our society.

With the theme, "Because of Her, We Can!", local and national events are happening in Australia from Sunday 8 July through to Sunday 15 July.

Indigenous activist Ken Canning continues to advocate for the true stories of Indigenous peoples to be told, not to point fingers to any one but to tell the country how the present situation came to being.

"You can never understand yourself as a nation until you know the truth," says the Murri activist.