Hawker Area School NAIDOC Week Celebrations 4 July 2019

South Australian School celebrates Aboriginal Culture in July

NAIDOC Week 2019 is coming up in July, and one South Australian school in particular is joining the celebration. Students, staff and community members of Hawker Area School (HAS) will be coming together with their community to value and honour Aboriginal experience, knowledge and culture.

NAIDOC Fun Day will take place on the 4th of July on the Hawker Area School Oval, with the event open to the public.

The day starts at 9am with a parade through the main street at 11am, followed by activities including rock carving and making damper, led by Adnamatna members of the community. There will be kangaroo tail cooking in the outdoor classroom and fire pit, and a bbq lunch are some of the activities planned.  

According to Sasha Andersson, event organiser and the Hawker Area School’s Aboriginal Education Teacher, there are also plans to paint a mural in one of the classrooms.

The school will also provide a copy of a book containing Adnamatna (Adnyamathanha) ngawala (language) and Muda (dreaming) for participants, as part of the International Year of Indigenous Languages.

An Adnamatna community

Hawker Area School has supported NAIDOC for years because it’s an occasion when they can bring attention to their local people.

“We teach Adnamatna language at school, and we are on Adnamatna lands. Any opportunity to share this outside the classroom is crucial for growing reconciliation in our community, and in cultural competency and awareness in our students,” said Andersson.

“We have a proud Aboriginal community here, and for them to see the town and school celebrating their culture in their home is of huge value to them.”

More than an event

A large number of the institute’s neighbours are Adnamatna or other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Inviting them to become part of the celebrations helps children and teenagers to relate to the Adnamatna members and get to know their culture.

“It reminds our students that this isn't just a school thing. They have the chance to learn that Aboriginal knowledge is valid, and worth sharing inside and outside of school”, said Andersson.

The event is valuable for students but also for everyone across Hawker. School staff greatly benefit from the process of bringing Aboriginal knowledge and perspectives into the open and can use this moment to build connections.  “They will hopefully be able to take this experience into their classrooms in the future”, she affirmed.   

Those living close to the institution are also positively impacted. “We hope to benefit Aboriginal community members by demonstrating that we value and honour their experiences and their knowledge; and non-Aboriginal community members by helping them engage with culture”, she added.

Preserving Aboriginal culture

The Hawker Area School’s Yura Muda program was created 14 years ago aiming to promote the Adnamatna, and Aboriginal Culture within the institution. 

“This program has grown, and now every student in our school gets to learn Adnamatna language and culture as a part of the curriculum each week”, explained Andersson.

Different community bodies have contributed to making it happen along the years. The Aboriginal Education Teacher has counted on the Aboriginal Community Education Officer and local Elders while planning and presenting the language and culture in the classrooms.

“The Yura Muda Group is also a key part of this, acting in consultation with the school on Aboriginal priorities for our students and out the site. They were a key driver in the direction of our upcoming NAIDOC celebrations”, stated Andersson.  

Looking for a NAIDOC Week event near you?

You can find a list of local community events taking place across Australia on the NAIDOC Week website https://www.naidoc.org.au/get-involved/naidoc-week-events.