NAIDOC WEEK
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Sunday
NAIDOC Week Star of the Sea Parish What does NAIDOC stand for?
NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. To understand what all that means though, we need a little bit of a history lesson. 1955: the Day of mourning or Aborigines Day was moved from the Sunday before January 26 to the first Sunday in July. It was shifted because people wanted to focus more on celebrating First Nations cultures rather than protesting. 1956: The National Aborigines Day Observance committee was then created to organize national events. 1975: it was decided to celebrate for a whole week rather than just one day. NAIDOC week was born! 1991: NAIDOC Week expanded to recognise Torres Strait Islander people and cultures. And that’s why it’s called NAIDOC Week 
Painting by Deb Belyea (Samuawgadhalgal, Torres Strait) ‘Urapun Muy’, from the Kalaw Kawaw Ya dialect of the Top Western Islands of the Torres Strait, means ‘One Fire’. The title of this work pays homage to Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal people everywhere, as we all have that one fire: our passion for our culture. In this work, I have depicted the hands of our ancestors that have carefully dropped a burning ember on to a fire. This ember burns hot with intensity, stoking the flames, as it combines with the new fire. The linear detail shows the energy and power as cultural knowledge is transferred from our ancestors to us today. Culture is the fire that gives us knowledge, wisdom and purpose. It is our responsibility to maintain, practice, and pass on our fire to our future generations. Afterall, Culture keeps us Blak, Loud and Proud. |
Why is NAIDOC Week important?
NAIDOC Week is important as it is an opportunity for learning, connection and community. It gives First Nations people and non-Indigenous people the opportunity to celebrate and connect with community and country. It is a chance for everyone not just First Nations people to celebrate all aspects of First Nations history and cultures. As well as this, with its origins of being one of the first major civil rights gatherings in the World. NAIDOC Week is an important time to reflect on the challenges faced by First Nations people – to look at how far we have come and how far we have to go.
NAIDOC Week is important as it is an opportunity for learning, connection and community. It gives First Nations people and non-Indigenous people the opportunity to celebrate and connect with community and country. It is a chance for everyone not just First Nations people to celebrate all aspects of First Nations history and cultures. As well as this, with its origins of being one of the first major civil rights gatherings in the World. NAIDOC Week is an important time to reflect on the challenges faced by First Nations people – to look at how far we have come and how far we have to go.
The black symbolises the Aboriginal people, the red represents the earth and the colour of ochre used in Aboriginal ceremonies, and the circle of yellow represents the sun, the constant renewer of life.
The green panels at the top and bottom of the flag represent the land and the central blue panel represents the sea. The black lines dividing the panels represent the Torres Strait Islander people. The centre of the flag shows a white dhari (dancer’s headdress) which represents Torres Strait Islander culture Underneath the dhari is a white five-pointed star. The star is an important symbol for navigating the sea. The points of the star represent the five island groups in the Torres Strait and the white symbolises peace.
Dolly McGaughey David Miller Regina McCarthy NATSICC Liturgy Team.