Elders, children, authors, musicians and scientists came together on Wednesday for the 19th Indigenous Literacy Day event, celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories, cultures and languages.
This year’s theme, 'Country Is Our Teacher', explores the many ways in which knowledge is held in Country: from the land, to the sea, the changing seasons, to our languages, our stories, music and the night sky.
Presented by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) in collaboration with the Sydney Opera House, the celebration featured a special film from Central Australia, the launch of a new bilingual book, live performances and an exploration of Sky Country.
Stories from Country
The annual film followed Niningka and Chris, two young Aboriginal people from Mparntwe (Alice Springs) and Nyirripi in the Northern Territory, as they explored Warlpiri and Arrernte language, plants, animals and culture.
Their stories gave audiences a glimpse into the literacy of knowledge held within Country.
For Wiradjuri man, ILF CEO Ben Bowen, that broader understanding of literacy is at the heart of the organisation’s work.
“Literacy is one of those foundation skills and it’s a fundamental human right,” Bowen said.
"[It's] not just about lifting words off a page. It’s really about how they can engage in the world and build context."
Stories that carry Country
A key part of the event was the launch of My Walk Through the Seasons on Ngaanyatjarra Country, a bilingual English and Ngaanyatjarra picture book written by respected Warakurna Elder Daisy Tjuparntarri Ward.
The book explores the seasons and the knowledge connected between them, including hunting, gathering and living on and taking care of Country, whilst also drawing on Daisy’s own experiences growing up as a young girl.
For Daisy, that knowledge is something that needs to be shared with the next generation.
“It’s so important for these kids to learn,” she said.
“It’s another way of seeing how we hunt, gather fruits, everything. That’s the education that we are going to give for these kids,” she said.
The children who also helped create the book were part of the celebrations, bringing their own creativity to the story.
For these kids, the seasons and Country were brought to life through the pages that they helped to create, from flowers and honey, to rain, lightning and the experience of painting Country.
For Bowen, the book is an example of what can happen when knowledge held by our Elders is passed onto the next generation.
“Country is this storage container, our encyclopedia and with the right Elders, we can lift that out and have beautiful futures.”
Language through music
The connection between knowledge, language and country was also heard through music, with ILF Ambassador DOBBY performing MINYAN NGABANGKA (What’s in the Water?) alongside Josh Pyke.
The song was co-written by DOBBY, First Nations artist Kelsey Iris and local kids from Brewarrina on Ngemba Country NSW and features Murrawarri language.
For DOBBY, creating this song was about giving their voices and language a platform.
“It was really lovely to come back to Brewarrina, Ngemba country, to write with the kids and create something that resonates with them,” he said.
DOBBY said using language was a natural and important part of the project.
“We really take a lot of value in language and speaking in Murrawarri in particular,” he said.
“And so it felt only natural for us as Murrawarri artists to be able to showcase the language which is one of the many languages spoken in and around Brewarrina.
“It educates the rest of Australia ... but also it reinstills pride to be an Aboriginal kid in Brewarrina,” DOBBY said.
Reading the night sky
The celebration of Country stretched far beyond the land and sea, with Gamilaroi woman and astrophysicist Krystal De Napoli joining Wiradjuri woman, astronomer Dr Kirsten Banks to explore Sky Country.
They encouraged the young audience to look at the night sky through both a Western lens and Indigenous knowledges, exploring how different cultures interpret the stars.
For Krystal, the stars themselves can be understood as a source of knowledge.
“Stars tell us everything we need to know about Country,” she said.
“There are layers and layers of knowledge in individual stars, let alone constellations.”
“The stars are like books. They’re like encyclopedias. And in that way, the entire sky is a really precious library. But we need to be able to see it in order to read it.”
Krystal said the night sky also reinforced the importance of learning on Country and alongside Elders as she reflected on this years theme.
“Country is our teacher, our community, our leaders are our teachers,” she said.
Looking ahead to the next generation
For Bowen, Indigenous Literacy Day is not only a celebration of what has been achieved but is also an opportunity to think about where First Nations storytelling and literacy can go next.
Next year will mark 20 years of Indigenous Literacy Day and ILF, a milestone Bowen said will be an opportunity for them to reflect on the growth of community led publishing, while listening to what they want for the future.
“We’re seeing up to about 47 languages published bilingually. Things are moving really, really quickly,” Bowen said.
He said the next 20 years could see First Nations stories reach even broader audiences, including domestic and global markets, while continuing to be driven by community.
But the heart of the ILF's work remains the same, he says: ensuring children can access stories, languages and knowledge that reflect who they are and where they come from.
“For us to bring community together to celebrate storytelling, to celebrate publishing is incredible."
